(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioner Mr. Xu Zhanjie was arrested by police officers from Sanhe Town, Sanhe Township in Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province. The police extorted nearly 80,000 yuan (US$12,900) from Mr. Xu's family, promising to release him.

Mr. Xu's family is poor and had to borrow the money from many people. Despite paying the money, the police have not released Mr. Xu, who is still in the Suihua City Detention Center.

Arrests and Extortion

Mr. Xu and another practitioner, Mr. Yu Wenxue, went to Suihua City to distribute Falun Dafa fliers on August 14, 2013. Someone who didn't know the truth about the unlawful persecution of Falun Dafa reported them to the police.

The two men were arrested by officers from Sanhe Town Police Station and Sanhe Township Police Station. Mr. Yu Wenxue was released after his family paid a large sum to the police.

The police brutally beat and kicked Mr. Xu and took the 2000 yuan (US$300) he had with him.

It has now been several months since his arrest. Mr. Xu's family has fought for his release but officer Wang Shubo at Sanhe Township Police Station refused to release him, unless they paid.

Mr. Xu's family has no money and had to borrow from many people. So far they have paid the police nearly 80,000 yuan (US$12,900), but Mr. Xu has not been released.

Jiang Zemin and his regime began the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999. Over the past 14 years, Mr. Xu has been arrested four times and suffered financial losses of close to 200,000 yuan (US$32,000).

Falun Dafa Changed Mr. Xu for the Better

Before Mr. Xu began practicing Falun Dafa he was not a good person. He had a terrible temper and liked to pick fights. His neighbors were terrified of him, and his family didn't know what to do. His was in poor health and suffered from severe nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys).

Mr. Xu began practicing Falun Dafa in 1997. He earnestly studied the teachings and did the exercises. He changed his behavior and became a different person by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Mr. Xu's health recovered. He was willing to help others and worked hard. His family and neighbors were amazed by the power of Falun Dafa after they witnessed the changes in him. Many of them began to practice Falun Dafa.