Three-time kidnapping victim freed

A Chinese businessman, who was kidnapped for the third time, and his male companion, were released by their abductors last Thursday in Manila after their families paid a P400,000 ransom for their safe release, the police said.

PNP Intelligence chief Senior Superintendent Reynaldo Berroya said Dominador Ti and Jimmy Go were abducted by armed men on Monday afternoon, June 11, in Ti’s office at Masangkay Street in Binondo, Manila.

Ti’s wife, Zenaida, said the victims were released after three days of captivity when their families handed over the P400,000 ransom to their abductors.

Mrs. Ti recalled receiving a telephone call from the suspects, known to her and her husband only as Abe and Ruben, on the night of June 11.

Abe and Ruben were said to be Mindanao natives residing at Barangay 648, Muslim Compound. Intelligence officers learned only after interrogation that the abduction was prompted by unpaid monetary obligations and some business rivalries between the victims and the suspects.

"When the victims came, they reported it as purely kidnapping. Apparently, they were involved in illegal activities. They tried to dupe other traders. But all elements of kidnapping such as demand for ransom and treachery were present in the case," another intelligence officer said.

Berroya said his men are having difficulty in tracking down the suspects for failure of the victims and their families to inform the authorities about the abductions. The police were informed only after the release.

"The refusal of the victim and his family to file kidnap charges despite knowing their abductors have stalled our drive to go after the kidnappers," he said.

Berroya underscored the importance of coordinating with the police in kidnap-for-ransom cases. "Nevertheless, the victims have issued their respective affidavits that they were taken by the suspects and were held in captivity for three days," he said. – Christina Mendez