A self-proclaimed pick-up artist (PUA) has been arrested after spreading harmful information online, cyber-police in eastern China’s Jiangsu province announced Thursday. They’re calling the case the first of its kind in China.

The 24-year-old man, surnamed Xu, had a website where he sold PUA courses that taught people how to defraud women, physically harm them, and even convince them to attempt suicide “as proof of love.” The website and related chat groups have been taken offline, the authorities said, and Xu has received five days’ detention and a fine of 50,000 yuan ($7,300).

In China, PUA courses are often criticized for objectifying women, with some even advocating emotional and physical abuse. But because many PUA groups tend to be more active in cyberspace than in the offline world, they’re often able to elude legal punishment. In May 2018, WeChat’s parent company, Tencent, shut down certain PUA social media accounts and chat groups in response to backlash from netizens and media. (Image: IC)