Philippines: Chinese man’s suspected abductors killed, police say
- Backed by a SWAT team and intelligence agents, police raided a hideout in Lapu Lapu city after suspects received a partial ransom payment through WeChat
- Police recovered 4 pistols, a laptop computer, cellphones and handcuffs from the slain suspects, who may have been involved in past kidnappings of Chinese workers
Philippine police killed four suspected Chinese kidnappers in a gun battle and rescued a Chinese man they had allegedly abducted in a central city, officials said Tuesday.
Backed by a SWAT team and intelligence agents, police raided a hideout in Lapu Lapu city on Monday night after tracking down the suspects, who had received a partial ransom payment through the Chinese smartphone app WeChat, police said.
“Our men were met with gunfire from the suspects, prompting them to retaliate,” said police Brigadier General Rudolph Dimas, who heads the national police’s anti-kidnapping force.
The Chinese victim, identified by police as Lyu Xingou from China’s southeastern province of Fujian, was seized from his house by Chinese-speaking gunmen last Wednesday as he prepared to leave for work in Lapu Lapu city, police said.
The kidnappers called the victim’s son in China and demanded a ransom, which the family partially paid through WeChat in an arrangement that allowed the police to track down the suspects, police said, without elaborating.
Police recovered four pistols, a laptop computer, cellphones and handcuffs from the slain suspects, who may have been involved in past kidnappings of Chinese working for lucrative online casinos in the Philippines that cater to Chinese clients in China, Dimas said.
After a rash of kidnappings in the Philippines involving Chinese victims – including 55 between 2017 and 2019 – there was a crackdown by authorities after Beijing expressed concern over the abductions.
The Philippine Gaming and Amusement Corporation (Pagcor), an industry regulator overseen by the Office of the President, issued a statement saying it would step up efforts to curb the issues caused by the business.
The agency also said its officials had met with the Philippine central bank and Securities and Exchange Commission to tighten controls on the flow of money in the industry. It said it would also work with police to enhance security measures at casinos.
Online gambling attracts large numbers of Chinese migrants in search of work in the booming industry.
Additional reporting SCMP
