Recently, the kidnapping of a 14-year-old Chinese student in BGC has attracted widespread social attention. In response to rumors that the victim's family was involved in a debt dispute with POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators), the boy's mother recently made a public clarification, stating that the family has no connection with POGO, and the kidnapping might have been triggered by the driver showing off wealth.
The victim's mother stated in an interview that the rumors about their family being involved in POGO or high-risk e-commerce transactions are completely untrue. She and her husband run a TikTok e-commerce shop in Pasay, mainly selling affordable jewelry, with prices ranging from one to two hundred pesos.
She further emphasized that the family does not know the kidnappers, has no grievances with them, and there are no debt disputes. As for why they were targeted, she suspects it might be related to the driver's behavior.
According to the victim's family, the family driver, a Filipino, was hired just a month ago. However, after the kidnapping occurred, they visited the driver's neighborhood and learned from neighbors that he often drove their luxury nanny van (Alphard) home and flaunted it on social media, creating a "wealthy" image.
Furthermore, they learned that the driver might have previously worked in a POGO industrial park in Bataan. The family speculates that it was the driver's ostentatious behavior that caught the attention of POGO-related individuals in his social circle, ultimately leading to the kidnapping.
Shockingly, the boy's mother confirmed that the day after the incident (21st), they received news that the driver had died. However, due to the complexity of the case, the family cannot determine whether the driver was connected to the kidnappers or if he had any debts, and they are still waiting for the police investigation.
Kidnapping process exposed: Fake car accident + kidnappers in police uniforms
The boy recalled that the kidnapping occurred on the afternoon of February 20th, just after he left school and got into the driver's car. Soon after, their vehicle was suddenly hit from behind, and when the driver got out to check, several men in Philippine National Police (PNP) uniforms rushed up and subdued both the driver and him.
Subsequently, the boy's personal belongings were stolen, and he was forced into a car. There were six Filipinos in the car, and during the journey, he was transferred to another vehicle and blindfolded before being taken to a house. Due to being blindfolded for a long time, he could not determine the total number of kidnappers, but he could confirm that one of the guards was Chinese.
During his captivity, he was threatened and abused, and even had his fingers cut off by the kidnappers to coerce his family into paying the ransom.
The victim's mother stated that on the evening of the second day of the kidnapping (21st), she received a message from the kidnappers. Initially, they contacted her using a Cambodian WhatsApp number, then continued to switch accounts and send messages through different devices.
The kidnappers demanded a ransom of 20 million US dollars and applied extreme pressure, including sending videos of the victim's severed fingers, threatening, "If you don't pay within two minutes, your son's fingers will be gone." Subsequently, the family indeed received a gruesome video.
In the conversation the next day, the family asked the kidnappers to provide proof that the boy was alive, and the kidnappers sent a video of the boy singing his brother's favorite song.
The victim's mother speculates that there were at least two Chinese among the kidnappers, one responsible for contacting the family and the other guarding the boy on site. Additionally, there might be other accomplices at the scene who have not been identified.
The police eventually located the kidnappers using technical means and launched a pursuit. Under pressure, the kidnappers were forced to abandon their vehicle and flee, and the boy was successfully rescued.
The police revealed that when rescued, the boy was wearing pajamas, and his right hand was wrapped in a bandage due to a severe injury from having his little finger cut off. The family stated that they were notified only after the police had rescued the child, and the details of the rescue process still need to be further understood.
Currently, the case is still under thorough investigation, and the police are tracking other potential suspects to further uncover the truth of the case.
