PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief, General Rodolfo S. Azurin on Friday announced the arrest of four Chinese nationals suspected to be members of a gang kidnapping and torturing their Asian targets working in POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) firms in Metro Manila to “force” their families abroad to pay them huge ransom money.

“We have smashed another kidnapping-for-ransom [KFR] syndicate composed of rogue Chinese nationals who are preying on their fellows in Metro Manila,” Azurin said as he commended the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for making the arrests in the wake of their ongoing effort to arrest POGO-related kidnappings in the metropolis.

According to the top cop, members of the National Capital Region Field Unit (NCRFU) of the PNP-CIDG under Brig. Gen. Ronald O. Lee made the arrest on Thursday afternoon following a tip from another Chinese national.

First to be arrested by CIDG-NCRFU operatives headed by Col. Hansel M. Marantan were Chui Qun, a POGO staff residing at Pearl Plaza in Tambo, Parañaque City, and his Filipino driver, a resident of Malolos City, Bulacan.

The two were arrested inside the Sea Residence Sunrise Drive in Pasay City 4:00 p.m. Thursday following a complaint filed by a Chinese national.

The complainant went to the CIDG-NCRFU headquarters in Camp Crame to report that her friend was abducted by a group of unidentified armed men who were riding a Hi-Ace van around 5:00 p.m. Wednesday.

The complainant said that the abduction took place at the Shore Residence Tower A, where the victim was renting a unit. He added that the suspects contacted him and demanded a P2 million ransom for the safe release of his friend.

Acting on the report, members of the CIDG-NCR Southern Metro Manila District Field Unit, with the assistance of officers from the Southern Police District (SPD), the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), and the Naval Intelligence and Security Force, conducted an entrapment operation which led in the arrest of the two suspects and the safe rescue of their hostage.

Lee said that recovered from the possession of the suspects were the boodle money topped by a marked P1,000 bill and a caliber .45 semi-automatic pistol with a magazine containing six live ammunition.

Three hours after the victim was rescued, the CIDG-NCRFU officers conducted a follow-up operation which was triggered by information from the arrested Chinese national that the ransom money they were asking for will be delivered to a POGO company located at PITX Parañaque City.

The operation led to the arrest of Yap Tiong EE, a human resource staff of the accused POGO company and found to be residing in Marina Seaview Residence Tower F1001 in Tambo, Parañaque City; Li Wei Xiong, a POGO employee residing in Shore Residence Tower A; and Li Xing, a POGO employee renting a unit at Midas Hotel in Pasay City.

“All three suspects were identified by the victim as among the suspects who abducted him and demanded ransom for his safe release,” said Lee.

The arrested suspects were described by the PNP-CIDG as members of the “Zi Chinese Criminal Group” involved in the kidnapping-for-ransom and illegal detention of many POGO workers in the southern part of Metro Manila.

The PNP-CIDG is preparing criminal charges for robbery-extortion, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, robbery-extortion, and violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013 against Qun and the suspect Filipino driver.

The three other Chinese nationals will be charged with robbery-extortion under Article 293 of the Revised Penal Code and kidnapping and serious illegal detention under RA 1084, which is punishable by life imprisonment upon conviction.

An initial investigation conducted by the CIDG-NCRFU showed that the accused Chinese nationals were employees of a POGO company based in PITX Parañaque City.

Lee said that the suspects are known for kidnapping their targets in Pasay and Parañaque cities before “selling” them to another POGO company based inside the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga City.

“We have received information that the suspects were holding their hostages captive inside the POGO company in PITX before selling the captives for P800,000 to as much as P1 million to other POGO companies,” the PNP-CIDG director said.

Suspect Yap Tion EE has been in Manila since 2017, while EE Wei Xiong and Li Xing have been in the country for three years already. Suspect Qun Cui claimed he arrived in the country only last year, while the Filipino suspect was found to be the one driving the getaway vehicle of the suspects each time they seized a prey.

Lee said that Qun Cui was found to be pretending as a POGO human resource staff tasked to conduct a swab test on their applicants before abducting them.