Police in the Philippines have killed four men, on suspicion of kidnapping a Chinese man who was working in an online casino. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Casino worker rescue
Philippine police have killed four men suspected of kidnapping a Chinese man from a central city in a shootout, officials said Tuesday.
“Our men were met by the suspects’ fire, which prompted them to respond,” said Police Brigadier General Rodolphe Dimas, who leads the country’s anti-kidnapping team.
Partial ransom payment through the Chinese smartphone app WeChat
Police, along with the SWAT team and intelligence agents, raided a pit in Lapu Lapu on Monday night after tracking down the suspects. Police said at least one of the deceased received a partial ransom through the Chinese smartphone app WeChat.
kidnapping
The kidnapping victim has been identified as Liu Xinguo from Fujian Province, southeast China. Chinese-speaking assailants were taken from his home last Wednesday as he was preparing to leave for work.
Then the kidnappers contacted Xingou’s son and demanded a ransom be paid for his father’s release. He made a partial payment through WeChat, which investigators used to track the location of criminals.
The group may have been part of previous kidnappings of online casino employees
Police found four handguns, laptops, phones and handcuffs at the dead criminals’ retreat. Dimas said the group may have been part of previous kidnappings of online casino employees that catered to the Chinese crowd.
Authorities in Beijing have ordered an intensification of kidnapping interest after 55 Chinese nationals were kidnapped in the Philippines between 2017 and 2019. And while the numbers have improved, the latest event is another example of an unfortunate pattern.
philippines reply
The Philippines Games and Entertainment Corporation (Pagcor), which operates under the President’s Office, has issued a statement promising to prioritize curtailment issues related to the gambling industry.
Bajkur also said she had met with the central bank and the Securities and Exchange Commission to secure the flow of money into the industry.
The regulator also promised to work with the police to enhance security in the casinos; Many Chinese immigrants come to the Philippines in search of work in the gambling industry, which is one of the fastest growing sectors of the entertainment industry.
