Forty-five foreign nationals suspected to be part of a kidnap for ransom group (KFR) were arrested by joint operatives of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday.
The joint operation led to the rescue of a female Singaporean national identified as Wu Yan. She was forcibly taken by three men and one woman at Solaire Resort and Casino, Pasay City.
The victim was subsequently brought at Room 301 of Bayview International Towers, Pasay City where she was held and was beaten and threatened by her kidnappers who demanded US$180,000 for her release.
BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) and the PNP’s Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), in a statement Wednesday said the group is believed to be responsible in the series of kidnapping incidents perpetrated against foreign nationals who are casino high-rollers in recent months.
During the conduct of the initial operation, 26 foreign nationals were rounded up, all of whom failed to present any immigration document and refused to divulge their identities.
But the victim positively identified three of the 26 arrested as her kidnappers—Malaysian nationals Ng Yu Meng and Goh Kok Keong and Chinese national Zhang Fuxing, the alleged leader of the group.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of 19 more foreign nationals believed to be members of the KFR group.
The arrested 45 foreign nationals were brought to the PNP AKG HQs at Camp Crame, Quezon City. Two officers from the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China and Chinese Interpol assisted in the investigation and also served as translators.