(Minghui.org) The wife of a retired military officer was handcuffed in a cage with their 6-year-old son for talking to people about Falun Gong.

Ms. Ding Liurong is now being illegally detained in Xuzhou City Detention Center. Her husband, a retired Air Force officer, has acute diabetes and is in urgent need of her assistance.

Arrested, Home Ransacked

Ms. Ding, a Falun Gong practitioner from Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, was talking to people in the Gulou District about the persecution of Falun Gong on December 24, 2014. Her 6-year-old son was with her. The police took them both to the Huanglou Police Station.

Ms. Ding, about 35, was handcuffed and put in a metal cage with her son. About 12 police officers ransacked her home the following day. When Ms. Ding's husband asked for legal documents to justify what they were doing, the police pushed him down before taking him to the station and holding him for the entire day. He was allowed to take his son home.

Husband Given the Runaround

When Ms. Ding's husband and son went to the police station two days later, they were told she was no longer there. No one would tell them where she was. Father and son went to the city police department but were told to go to the Domestic Security Division. No one was there when they arrived.

Ms. Ding's husband submitted an application to the Domestic Security Division, asking for his wife's release based on the fact she hadn't broken any laws and that he was in dire straits without her. He never got a response.

Ms. Ding's husband, a retired administrative Air Force officer, has acute diabetes and is completely dependent on Ms. Ding for his care. Often he is often bedridden, he is now solely responsible for the care of their son.

Several days later, he received a notice of criminal detention, stating that Ms. Ding was being held in Xuzhou City Detention Center. He and his son brought her some clothes.

When they went again to bring her clothes, the guards saw the words “improving xinxing” stitched on the pockets. They refused to take the clothing and told them they were not allowed to bring anything to Ms. Ding for a month.

Husband and Son Distraught

Ms. Ding's son was terrified by the ordeal, and now that his mother is gone, he is inconsolable. Ms. Ding's husband has acute diabetes and can barely manage on his own, so Ms. Ding took care of the household. He is now bedridden, with no strength or appetite, but still has to take care of his son. His condition recently worsened, and his toenails fell off on January 23, 2015. He has had no further information about his wife.

Ms. Ding started practicing Falun Gong in 2010, and her mental and physical health noticeably improved. She was so pleased that she told everyone she met about her personal experience with Falun Gong and about the persecution.