8 Chinese, 1 Filipino arrested for kidnapping

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday said it has arrested eight Chinese nationals and one Filipino for kidnapping eight Chinese nationals and detaining them in a house in Las Piñas City.

Agents of the bureau's Criminal Investigation Division and police officers rescued the kidnapped individuals and seized a revolver and a pistol from the Filipino suspect and one of the Chinese suspects in an operation last July 11, the NBI said.

The arrest stemmed from a Chinese woman's complaint that her husband had been abducted from Okada Manila, a hotel-resort and casino complex in Parañaque City, and detained in a house in Las Piñas.

The kidnappers allegedly instructed the victim to contact his friends and relatives to raise P2 million in exchange for his freedom.

The bureau said the man's cousin in China was able to transfer P500,000 to his abductors, but that they told him he would not be released until he pays in full. The victim used his phone to send his location to his wife, the bureau said.

Operatives found the man and seven other victims held under guard at a two-storey house at Manuela 4-A Subdivision. Three of the suspects tried to escape aboard a vehicle but were arrested after a brief chase, the bureau said.

Those arrested were identified as Ben Tan, Haitao Wang, Dechun Qin, Yong Fei Chan, Xiao Qiang Yang, Dong Zheng Wen, Beijun Lin, Jun Wang, and Filipino national Jomar Lozada Demandante, the NBI said.

They face complaints for kidnapping, serious illegal detention, and violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act before the Las Piñas City prosecutor's office. — MDM, GMA News