In Manila, Philippines, local police successfully rescued a Chinese student who had been abducted by a gang led by Chinese nationals. The group was allegedly responsible for killing the student’s driver and severing the finger of the young victim in an attempt to pressure his family for a significant ransom. The information was revealed by government officials on Wednesday.
According to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, the student’s family refused to comply with the ransom demands. As law enforcement tightened the noose around the kidnappers’ vehicle, the gang—comprising former Filipino police officers and soldiers—left the 14-year-old unharmed on a bustling street in metropolitan Manila on Tuesday night.
The kidnapping occurred on February 20, right after the student finished his classes at a British school in Manila. The audacious and violent nature of the crime shocked the community. Remulla disclosed that both the victim’s family and the leader of the criminal group were allegedly involved in once-lucrative online gambling operations. These businesses thrived during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s tenure but faced shutdowns last year under the current administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
These gambling operations, widespread in the Philippines, Cambodia, and other Southeast Asian regions, primarily served clients from China, where gambling is illegal. “This crime is essentially Chinese on Chinese,” said Remulla, emphasizing that communication between the student’s family and the kidnappers occurred in Chinese through the WeChat application.
Following the closure of illegal gambling establishments in the Philippines, some individuals from these backgrounds reportedly turned to crimes like kidnapping. Officials highlighted ongoing threats from online platforms, including cryptocurrency scams and deceptive investment schemes.
The kidnappers initially demanded a $20 million ransom, reducing it later to $1 million. To coerce the family further, they cut off the tip of the student’s finger and sent the disturbing footage to his family, Remulla explained.
The body of the student’s driver was discovered in an abandoned car, which also contained valuable evidence like cellphone numbers. It appeared that the suspects left the vehicle hastily. Currently, the authorities have identified the kidnappers and are actively pursuing them, shared Remulla and other police officers.
