12 on trial for luring men to bar

A gang of scammers who enticed victims with female company on the Internet before luring them to a city bar, where they were charged exorbitantly for drinks, stood trial yesterday.

The group of 10 women and two men - the youngest aged 17 and the oldest 27 - allegedly used a bar called Iron and Fish, situated in Beijing's Houhai area, as their base to dupe unassuming men, hoping to meet up with their pretty "chat buddies", the Xicheng court heard yesterday.

Since March, the gang has duped 33 men of about 100,000 yuan ($142,000), the court heard.