Police arrest 2 foreigners over casino-related kidnapping

Thursday 27th February 2020

Police arrested on Thursday two casino workers after they were tagged in the abduction of their 32-year fellow Chinese in Parañaque City.

Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo, director of the police's Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), said the operation that led to the rescue of Jiang Longgen stemmed from the call for assistance of casino security in Paranaque City.

"The security personnel of the hotel were informed of the kidnapping and they immediately relayed the information to us, the reason behind the successful operation," said Estomo.

Estomo earlier met with casino managers to discuss coordination and cooperation amid the rising number of casino-related kidnappings.

One of those agreed upon was for casino personnel to fully cooperate in the preventive and police intervention on kidnappings perpetrated by some Chinese working for loan sharks in the casinos.

During Thursday's operation which happened at 2 a.m., those arrested were Jiang Zhenqiang and Zhu Peijian.

They were collared in Barangay Tambo in Paranaque City, and their arrest led to the rescue of the victim.

AKG spokesman Maj. Ronaldo Lumactod said the case is similar to the modus on the past wherein Chinese loan sharks would loan money to losing foreign casino gamblers.

Once the victim lost anew, he or she would be abducted and his or her relatives abroad are ordered to pay huge sums of money.

The group would even go to the extent of shooting a video of the victim while being tortured to force the relatives to pay.