As the case of the murder and kidnapping of Chinese businessman Guo Congyuan continues to ferment, the Philippine police recently disclosed that the 200 million pesos ransom involved in the case was transferred in batches through several casino intermediaries and eventually converted into cryptocurrency. The flow of this huge ransom is becoming a key clue in the investigation.
Recently, the Movement for the Restoration of Peace and Order (MRPO) expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) of the Philippine National Police for preliminarily listing Alvin Que, the son of Guo Congyuan, as a subject of investigation.
MRPO pointed out that the police included Alvin Que in the investigation based solely on the testimony of suspect David Tan Liao, without providing any physical evidence or corroborative evidence, which is a serious procedural flaw. More concerningly, this accusation was leaked to the media in advance, seriously misleading public opinion.
According to media reports, Alvin Que is one of the six people recommended by the AKG to be included in the preliminary investigation list of the Department of Justice. In response, Brigadier General Jean Fajardo, spokesperson for the Philippine National Police, stated that the police have not fully trusted David Tan Liao's testimony and are further verifying the evidence. He said: "We cannot rule out that David Tan Liao intends to confuse the situation, cover up the real mastermind behind the scenes, or even try to escape his leading role in the case."
Currently, of the five suspects officially identified by the police, three have been arrested: David Tan Liao, Ricardo Austria, and Reymart Catequista; the other two, including Kelly Tan Lim (also known as Aixin, Bao Wenli, Huang Yanling) and Jonin Lin, are still at large.
The police pointed out that Kelly Tan Lim is a key figure in the case, suspected of leading Guo Congyuan and his driver to the crime scene in Bulacan Province and subsequently contacting the Guo family to demand a huge ransom. The Philippine police have offered a reward of 5 million pesos for her capture.
In addition, the police are investigating two Chinese nationals suspected of being associated with Kelly Tan Lim on Boracay Island.
The police investigation found that the 200 million pesos ransom was transferred in multiple batches through casino intermediaries and converted into cryptocurrency. Five people have been confirmed to have received the ransom, two of whom have now been detained by the police.
Brigadier General Jean Fajardo stated that the police are currently assessing whether to hold the involved casinos and related intermediaries legally responsible. He emphasized: "We will not let go of any individual or organization that assists in the transfer of ransom, and all those involved will be dealt with according to the law."
This case has attracted high social attention and has once again placed Philippine casinos, underground intermediaries, and cryptocurrency transaction chains under public and law enforcement scrutiny.
