4 suspects arrested in Pampanga kidnapping of Chinese businessman

Four suspects, three of them foreigners, were arrested in connection with the kidnapping-for-ransom of a Chinese businessman in Angeles City, Pampanga, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Thursday.

At a press briefing, PNP chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the 37-year-old victim was abducted on the evening of August 2 along Friendship Highway.

Six armed men composed of five Chinese citizens and a Filipino aboard a van abducted the victim. The suspects later demanded a ransom of $1 million, to be paid in cryptocurrency.

On August 4, the victim managed to escape from where he was being held after the suspects allegedly fell asleep while drinking. The man climbed out through a window and sought for help, according to the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG).

Police said four suspects—three Chinese and one Filipino—have been arrested and underwent inquest for kidnapping for ransom and serious illegal detention.

Authorities are still verifying the identities of some of the foreigners in coordination with the Bureau of Immigration and the Chinese Embassy.

Investigators said the victim was in the Philippines on vacation and that his family owns supermarket businesses in the country.

Police added that one of the suspects had been a frequent customer of the victim's business and was believed to have conducted surveillance before the kidnapping. —RF, GMA News