A 56-year-old man has been charged with sexual assault following an alleged "cleansing ritual" scam in Burnaby. The incident, reported on August 5, involved a 29-year-old woman who claimed the suspect posed as a Taoist Master and Chinese medicine practitioner.The woman was approached by the man at Crystal Mall, where he allegedly convinced her that he could improve her health and life through a ritual. The victim agreed to accompany the man to another location, where the so-called "cleansing ritual" allegedly turned into inappropriate physical contact.Burnaby RCMP arrested the suspect, 56-year-old Tianjin Gong, on August 22 at a mall in Richmond. A charge of sexual assault was formally approved the following day by the BC Prosecution Service. Gong has since been released with strict conditions, including no contact with the victim and a ban on leaving the province.“We want the public to be aware of this scam to prevent further victims,” said Cpl. Mike Kalanj of the Burnaby RCMP. Authorities are urging anyone with information or potential encounters with the suspect to contact investigators at 604-646-9999, quoting file number 2024-26628.
A 56-year-old man has been charged with sexual assault following an alleged "cleansing ritual" scam in Burnaby. The incident, reported on August 5, involved a 29-year-old woman who claimed the suspect posed as a Taoist Master and Chinese medicine practitioner.The woman was approached by the man at Crystal Mall, where he allegedly convinced her that he could improve her health and life through a ritual. The victim agreed to accompany the man to another location, where the so-called "cleansing ritual" allegedly turned into inappropriate physical contact.Burnaby RCMP arrested the suspect, 56-year-old Tianjin Gong, on August 22 at a mall in Richmond. A charge of sexual assault was formally approved the following day by the BC Prosecution Service. Gong has since been released with strict conditions, including no contact with the victim and a ban on leaving the province.“We want the public to be aware of this scam to prevent further victims,” said Cpl. Mike Kalanj of the Burnaby RCMP. Authorities are urging anyone with information or potential encounters with the suspect to contact investigators at 604-646-9999, quoting file number 2024-26628.
