TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese streamer who falsely claimed to escape a kidnapping in Cambodia has been arrested by local authorities on suspicion of spreading false information.

Chen Neng-chuan (陳能釧), who goes by the name “Goodnight Chicken" (晚安小雞) online, was reportedly detained by Cambodian police on Wednesday (Feb. 13) and charged with defamation-related offenses, per CNA. The charges follow Chen’s Tuesday (Feb. 12) broadcast, in which he claimed he was beaten as he escaped a kidnapping attempt.

A Taiwanese police liaison based in Vietnam told CNA that Chen is being investigated for inciting discrimination, making false statements, and wasting public resources. Following the stream, Preah Sihanouk Province Governor Kuoch Chamroeun appealed for anyone with information on the streamer to contact authorities.

Before the arrest was made, members of Chen’s family broadcast a video on the “Goodnight Chicken” Facebook page and said he could not be found, while Chen’s wife appeared to cry. Taiwan’s foreign ministry made a statement after the video and said that no inquiries had been made by Chen’s family as to his whereabouts.

Chen's misleading livestream follows high-profile instances of Taiwan nationals being kidnapped in Cambodia in 2022. The kidnappings involved the promise of high-paying jobs in the country, only for victims to find themselves held captive and forced to work.

The faked Cambodian kidnapping is not the first time Chen has faced legal repercussions from a live stream. Owners of buildings in Kinmen and Changhua have previously filed lawsuits against the streamer after he broke into their premises and said they were haunted and the scene of a murder that did not happen.

Preah Sihanouk Province Governor Kuoch Chamroeun appeals for information on Chen on Tuesday.