SEVEN Chinese nationals have been arrested and jailed by agents of the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG) in connection with the kidnapping-for-ransom and torture of four Malaysian nationals who were rescued in a POGO hub in San Pedro City in Laguna last Saturday afternoon, PNP-AKG director, Brigadier General Jonnel C. Estomo said yesterday.
In a report to PNP chief, General Archie Francisco F. Gamboa, the official said that the suspects identified as Chao Min Weng, Xionxing Gan, Jian Yang, Haihua Liang, Jin Tang, Zhojing Yu and Xinjan Tang were positively identified by the four Malaysians as their abductors and torturers.
Twelve other Chinese nationals who were arrested during the raid in San Pedro City were released by the PNP-AKG after the victims failed to identify them. Two Filipinos working for the group of Chinese men have given their statements regarding the activities of the suspects, the official added.
Estomo said that the Chinese nationals were arrested during the operation at no. 1 J. Sotto Street in Crysanthemum Village in Barangay Crysanthemum in San Pedro City which resulted in the rescue of Malaysians Tan Hang Yi, Kho Soon Chiang, Cheam Chun Keat and Jonathan Ting Zhi Haw.
The operation was conducted by the PNP-AKG following a tip from the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime and Interpol Manila. The raid also resulted in the recovery of a Mitsubishi Hi-Ace with plate no. DAM 4152, assorted mobile phones, passports, laptop computers, a printer/scanner machine and a money-counting machine.
Estomo said that the 4 Malaysians gave statements that they were recruited by a common friend to work in a casino in Manila but shortly after arriving in the country, their passports were confiscated by the suspects and were brought to another place where they were threatened with a pistol.
