Singaporean woman rescued from kidnappers in the Philippines
MANILA: A Singaporean woman who was kidnapped in the Philippines has been rescued by the authorities in an operation to nab a group of 45 kidnappers who are foreign nationals.
The operation to arrest the kidnappers was carried out on Tuesday by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Philippine National Police, leading to the rescue of the Singaporean, who was identified as Wu Yan.
She was taken by three men and a woman at Solaire Resort & Casino, Pasay City, a city in the Metro Manila region.
The victim was later taken to a room in Bayview International Towers in Pasay City where she was beaten and threatened by her kidnappers. They demanded US$180,000 (S$246,000) for her release.
BI's Fugitive Search Unit and the police Anti-Kidnapping Group said in a statement yesterday that the group is believed to be responsible for a series of kidnapping incidents involving tourists who are casino high-rollers.
While carrying out the initial operation, 26 foreigners were rounded up. They failed to present any immigration documents and refused to divulge their identities.
The victim identified three of those arrested as her kidnappers - Malaysians Ng Yu Meng and Goh Kok Keong, and Chinese national Zhang Fuxing. Zhang is the alleged leader of the group.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of 19 more foreigners.Two officers from China's Ministry of Public Security and Chinese Interpol assisted in the investigation and served as translators. - PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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