According to Philippine media reports, the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group successfully arrested two kidnappers on January 16 after receiving a report from a female victim.
The victim, a 22-year-old Chinese woman, told authorities that she met two fellow Chinese through a social media app on January 7, and was picked up by them at the NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City, Manila, after which she was kidnapped.
The victim stated that during the kidnapping, she was threatened with a gun by the robbers, blindfolded, forced to disclose her phone password, and the robbers transferred about 738,516 RMB from her account. After the robbery, the robbers were still not satisfied and forced her to take out a loan of twenty thousand US dollars.
In addition, she was forced to strip naked and had her nude photos taken. After the kidnappers were released on January 9, they continuously threatened and extorted the victim with the nude photos, eventually leading her to seek help from the Philippine police.
With the cooperation of the victim, the Anti-Kidnapping Group successfully arrested the suspects, Song Dongdong and Richie Lacostana Aristoteles. The two suspects have been transferred to the AKG headquarters for processing and will face multiple criminal charges.
A senior official of the Philippine National Police, Elmer Lagay, stated: "This operation demonstrates the Anti-Kidnapping Group's commitment to the rapid handling of cases involving foreign residents. I am proud of the team's efforts."
Why do recent Filipino kidnappers specifically target Chinese people? Are they struggling to survive?
