Police rescued the young man in a dramatic operation in suburban Burnaby on February 19 after a four-day ordeal in which he was moved to a series of locations. Officers rescued the victim from a vehicle, using stun grenades during the operation.

Police charged Zhi Qi Wang, 32, Huan Wen Wen, 25, Yang Jason Yu, 27, and Guang River Zhang, 27, with unlawful confinement. Police say the victim, originally from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, knew his alleged kidnappers.

The case has prompted a Chinese students' association at the University of British Columbia (UBC) to seek a meeting with police to examine security concerns and how to prevent similar incidents.

The student group hopes the meeting will be held in the next few days, but has refused to discuss the matter publicly.

In another alleged case, CBC News reported that a HK$25 million ransom was paid to the kidnappers of a Hong Kong student in October last year. The victim was reportedly held in one of Vancouver's most luxurious hotels while the ransom was arranged.

Police have refused to discuss the matter and the veracity of the report could not be confirmed.

The Burnaby rescue coincided with the sentencing of three men for a notorious 2006 kidnapping.

In that case, UBC student Graham McMynn, whose mother is Chinese, was forced out of his car and held captive for eight days in 2006, his eyes covered with duct tape and his hands bound. The kidnappers received sentences of between eight and 13 years.

'Anyone who thinks they're going to get away with [kidnapping] in Vancouver should not think that,' said Inspector Les Yeo, the police team commander for both the Burnaby rescue and the McMynn case.

He said flashy displays of wealth were one reason why some kidnap victims appear to have been targeted. 'Some people have expensive cars and may appear to be richer than they are,' he said.

Police will not confirm whether the most recent kidnapping was related to any criminal organisations targeting Asian students, but the alleged kidnappers are all Chinese.

Inspector Yeo said police gained valuable experience in the McMynn kidnapping case and were able to quickly track the suspects.

The victim's parents in Beijing called police in Vancouver with trepidation. They were worried that their son's case would be ignored by police.

'The words they said included, 'We didn't know if the police in Canada would care about our son',' said Vancouver police Sergeant Joe Chu, who talked to the parents in Putonghua. 'They said, 'He's only a visa student'.'

But in Vancouver, the crime sent police officers into overdrive.

Although the rescue of the student represented a successful resolution, one police source told the South China Morning Post there were concerns that publicity about the case might encourage copycats.

Zoe You, an 18-year-old student who arrived in Vancouver from Guangdong last October and is studying to get into university, said that until the recent news of the kidnapping she had not realised that such crimes happened in Vancouver.

'I heard about it in China, but my family back home are telling me to be careful here in Canada,' she said. 'I'm definitely more careful now.'