PNP says Que ransom connected to Chinese arrested for espionage last Feb
Philippine National Police. — Inquirer file photo
MANILA, Philippines — One of the Chinese suspects apprehended for alleged espionage activities in Manila last February was linked to the case of Chinese-Filipino businessman Anson Que, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo revealed that authorities were able to track the ransom money paid by Que to his abductors on electronic wallets of two casino junket operators, namely White Horse Club and 9 Dynasty Group.
One of the accounts under these junket operators belonged to a Chinese identified as Lin Ning, who had earlier transactions with Ni Qinhui, one of the five suspects arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for alleged espionage.
READ: NBI arrests five involved in espionage activities
“One account here belongs to Lin Ning. This is one of the accounts where the ransom money went. Sometime in June 2023, Lin Ning sent a large amount of money through an e-wallet to Ni Quinhui,” Fajardo, speaking in Filipino, said in a press briefing on Monday.
“The name Ni Quinhui appeared in a newspaper report published on February 26, identifying this individual as one of the suspects arrested by the NBI for espionage,” she added.
Based on NBI’s report, Ni was arrested, along with four others, after the agency’s Cybercrime Division (CCD) and Special Task Force (STF) were alerted of vehicles reportedly utilizing International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catchers while frequenting military and police camps, essential facilities as well government assets within Metro Manila on February 14.
After verifying the information, CCD and STF agents detected unlicensed BTS, unauthorized transmissions, and interference sources.
`Malicious base stations’
BTS refers to unauthorized or malicious base stations that pose as cellular towers to intercept, manipulate, or disrupt mobile networks, often for surveillance, data theft, or network disruption.
With the findings, the NBI immediately conducted interdiction operations on February 20, which led to the arrest of five suspects, including two Chinese.
PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) acting director Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang explained that they were able to track where the ransom money went before it ended up in crypto wallets, using the crypto address given to them by the arrested suspects.
Yang said the ACG had already sent a subpoena against two local virtual asset service providers (VASPs) and contacted the two others outside the country for a presentation order.
A VASP is an entity that carries out exchanges between various forms of virtual assets and fiat currencies.
So far, Yang said the VASP outside the Philippines was able to freeze several accounts containing ransom money of $79,000 (P4.379 million).
Reports revealed that Que and his driver Armanie Pabillo were last seen alive after leaving their office in Valenzuela City at around 2 p.m. last March 29.
Based on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, Fajardo Que and Pabillo arrived at 345 Martha Street in Villacor Village along Barangay Langka in Meycauayan, Bulacan, on the same afternoon. They were restrained and held by the suspects at a house in the area.
READ: PNP puts up P5-M bounty for Chinese woman linked to Que kidnap-slay case
`Manual strangulation’
Last April 10, the PNP confirmed that Que and his driver were found dead in Rodriguez, Rizal. They died on April 8 due to “asphyxia due to manual strangulation.”
Named as the alleged masterminds in Que and his driver’s killing were David Tan Liao, Wenli Gong alias Kelly Tan Lim, and another unnamed suspect.
Authorities offered a P10 million reward for the arrest of Gong, who was reportedly used by Liao to lure Que and Pabillo to the Bulacan residence.
Fajardo also said that Gong purportedly “orchestrated the transfer of the ransom money from one e-wallet to another before the money was converted to cryptocurrency.”
