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Yating Yang

A video showing a one-year-old baby screaming in distress while his parents appeared to tattoo his arm, allegedly to win a free flat worth five million roubles (US$63,000), has sparked global outrage.
The incident stemmed from a challenge launched by 26-year-old Russian influencer Andrey Burim, known online as Mellstroy, who boasts more than 7.6 million followers across social media platforms.

stranger to controversy.
In 2020, he sparked public outrage after crossing legal boundaries by physically assaulting a young model during a live-stream.
To promote his online casino business, he launched a challenge inviting anyone online to take part.

Participants can post any type of video content as long as they include a link to his casino.
Mellstroy and his team would review the videos everyday and select their favourite entry to award a luxury flat worth five million roubles.

The challenge ran from October 17 to November 17, during which 30 flats were given away.
To win the grand prize, some participants have taken the challenge to dangerous extremes.

Some people have torn up their passports, shaved their heads, or even tattooed the words “Mellstroy Game” directly onto their faces.
Shockingly, a 17-year-old girl even set herself on fire.

In one of the most disturbing cases, a woman is seen in a video picking up a tattoo machine, with the help of her husband, and tattooing a long string of letters, “Mellstroy Game” across the arm of a one-year-old toddler.
The woman said: “We decided to join this competition. We have been living in a rental property for three years and simply cannot afford to buy a flat. We are drowning in debt and desperately want to win.”

“We did not know how to surprise you, Mellstroy, so we decided to tattoo our one-year-old child,” she added.
The child cried throughout the entire process.

The video triggered public outrage, with netizens condemning their cruelty and demanding a police investigation.
As the backlash intensified, the couple admitted the next day that the act had been staged.

According to Izvestia, a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia, the mother clarified that the “tattoo” had actually been drawn with a pen.
“We did not tattoo the child. We only pretended to do so,” she said.

The contest has also sparked a backlash among Chinese netizens.
One person said: “If posting such videos of kids is banned, some people might start targeting animals instead.”

“This is a real-life Squid Game,” said another.
While a third person said: “The influencer has more than 7 million followers? That just shows how many people have no moral bottom line.”


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Russian extreme acts challenge offers flat as prize, prompting couple to tattoo toddler son

An online challenge run by a Russian influencer who offers expensive luxury prizes has led contestants to do some dangerously extreme things. Photo: QQ.com

In one of the most extreme cases, a 17-year-old girl set herself on fire. Photo: QQ.com

Russian influencer Andrey Burim offers luxury prizes worth thousands of dollars. Photo: QQ.com

One participating couple even filmed themselves tattooing the arm of their one-year-old child. Photo: QQ.com

One young woman wove dozens of pencils into her hair as part of the competition. Photo: QQ.com

Another man who entered the contest tattooed the name of the competition across his forehead. Photo: QQ.com

This contestant chose to have the name of the competition etched into his arm. Photo: QQ.com

This woman shaved her head in a bizarre style in the hope of winning a luxury flat. Photo: QQ.com

Another contestant made a stomach-busting attempt to eat a huge fishy snack. Photo: QQ.com

The nature of his business has led some people to call for a police investigation into Burim, above. Photo: QQ.com

Burim says that he and his team will buy a flat for a chosen person taking part in the competition every day. Photo: QQ.com

Chinese man hides in box to enter housing block, steals from woman before leaving in crate

A Chinese man hid in a wooden box and hired a delivery worker to bring him into a residential block before breaking into a woman’s home and stealing gold and cash. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/QQ.com

Zhao forced the woman to unlock her safe and stole gold items weighing a total of 230 grams, valued at over 200,000 yuan, along with 2,000 yuan in cash. Photo: Shutterstock

Concealing himself in a wooden box, Zhao employed a delivery worker to transport the crate into the building’s exit passage, hoping to avoid detection by surveillance cameras. Photo: Weibo

Zhao noted that his “Trojan horse” strategy was inspired by what he had seen on television dramas, and he expressed surprise at how swiftly the police were able to find him. Photo: Shutterstock

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In 2013, she excelled in her hometown of Fuding in southeastern China’s Fujian province by becoming the top scorer in the competitive gaokao, China’s national college entrance exam. Photo: thepaper.cn

Although she grew up taking dance lessons, her mother, right, rejected the teacher’s suggestion for her to pursue professional dance training, prioritising her impressive academic performance instead. Photo: thepaper.cn

Zeng gained public attention after her participation in the Chinese talent show “Produce Camp 2020” and has since appeared in numerous television shows. Photo: thepaper.cn

With 260,000 followers on a social media platform, Zeng has taken on supporting roles in popular dramas. Photo: thepaper.cn

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A Chinese tourist and her friend were kicked out of a restaurant in Japan because they were wearing sports attire, and deemed inappropriate by the owner. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/RedNote

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Wu’s venture, which sees trained dogs help people in need, is flying high after a testing start. Photo: ycwb.com

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People & Culture

Calls for police probe into casino business influencer whose offer of luxury prizes sees entrants take contest to dangerous extremes


Calls for police probe into casino business influencer whose offer of luxury prizes sees entrants take contest to dangerous extremes.


Russia

Social media

Russian extreme acts challenge offers flat as prize, prompting couple to tattoo toddler son

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Calls for police probe into casino business influencer whose offer of luxury prizes sees entrants take contest to dangerous extremes

Calls for police probe into casino business influencer whose offer of luxury prizes sees entrants take contest to dangerous extremes