LHASA, Tibet — When Mr. Zhang, a tourist visiting Lhasa, Tibet, checked into a popular hotel on April 20, 2023, he couldn’t have possibly anticipated the chilling revelation that awaited him.
After spending half a day in his hotel room trying to identify the source of an unpleasant odor, he requested to move to another room. Unbeknownst to him, this decision would lead to his involvement in a gruesome murder investigation.
Originally attributing the foul smell to either the bakery downstairs or even his own feet, Mr. Zhang was later informed that the true source of the odor was a dead body hidden under his bed.
In an interview with Shangyou News, Zhang recalled the moment when police officers informed him of the shocking news. “I asked them what happened and they told me someone had died. So I asked them where. They said under my bed.”
Although the police opened a murder investigation, they assured Mr. Zhang that he was not a suspect, as the body had been there for days before his arrival.
The case has captured the attention of the Chinese public, with numerous state-affiliated news outlets covering the story and sharing video footage of the arrest of a suspect on a train headed for Lanzhou, a city approximately 2,000 kilometres from Tibet.
As for Mr Zhang, the harrowing experience has left a lasting impact. After assisting the police with their investigation, he hastily departed Tibet, but the ordeal continues to haunt him.
“I stay up until 2 am to 3 am every morning and the slightest movement would wake me up,” he told Shangyou News on Saturday, May 6, 2023. “It left me in a bad mental state.”
The chilling discovery in Lhasa serves as a stark reminder of the sinister secrets that can lurk beneath seemingly ordinary circumstances.
As Mr. Zhang’s story gains widespread attention, it’s a reminder to travellers everywhere to remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings.
