Attempted Kidnapping of 3 Chinese and 1 Malaysian
2 Escape and Report... 2 Released After Ransom Payment
A Philippine police officer kidnapped tourists and demanded a ransom.
According to AP News and others on the 5th (local time), last weekend in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, two police officers on motorcycles stopped a luxury car carrying three Chinese nationals and one Malaysian national, handcuffed them, and kidnapped them.
On the 5th (local time) in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos held a press conference briefing on the incident where police officers kidnapped foreign tourists. Four suspects wearing orange tops, who are active police officers, led the kidnapping and were arrested. [Photo by Yonhap News]
During the incident, two Chinese nationals barely escaped after a struggle and reported to the authorities. The captured tourists were assaulted and released after paying a ransom of 2.5 million Philippine pesos (58.4 million KRW) within one night.
The police arrested four officers involved in the crime based on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and statements from the released tourists. Interior Minister Benhur Abalos stated that one of the arrested officers was a senior inspector.
The CCTV footage secured by the police showed the kidnappers forcibly pulling the tourists out of the car while other drivers watched. One of the kidnappers was dressed in a police uniform.
The police charged the four officers with kidnapping, robbery, and vehicle theft. Additionally, they are pursuing ten other suspects who appear to be involved in the incident but are not police officers.
At a press conference, Minister Abalos said, "I am shocked that police officers were involved in this incident," adding, "This case is a serious violation of public trust and the core values of the police force."
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, in 2016, active police officers in the Angeles area of northern Luzon kidnapped and murdered Korean businessman Ji Ik-ju (then 53 years old). The main perpetrators were sentenced to life imprisonment, but violent crimes involving police officers have not disappeared since then.
Previously, the International Criminal Court investigated former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for approving extrajudicial killings during his tenure, where over 230,000 police officers nationwide were criticized as "rotten to the core," and thousands were killed during anti-drug operations, considering these acts as crimes against humanity.
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