Kidnappers take wrong victim?

A 40-year-old daughter of a "caretaker," believed to be mistaken for one of the Chinese owners of a sardine canning factory in Malabon was abducted by three unidentified gunmen Thursday night, a sketchy police report said yesterday.

Malabon police Station Investigation Branch (SIB) chief Senior Inspector Napoleon Bataycan identified the victim as Mai Ling Ang alias "Okim" of 16 Cherrygail Street, Gabriel II Subdivision, Barangay Hulong Duhat and daughter of Leong Ang, the alleged caretaker of Golden Sun Canning Corporation located in the same barangay and headed by businessman Mariano Sy, who allegedly resides in Parañaque City.

Initial reports showed the kidnapping occurred at around 8:26 p.m.

Police said the kidnappers, who were abroad an L300 van, allegedly waylaid the victim who was driving her Ford Fiera van (LEY 745) on her way home.

Probers said one of the suspects wore the standard blue police uniform while another was wearing a ski-mask. The third suspect drove the get-away vehicle which had no license plates.

Probers initially theorized that the abduction was a case of "mistaken identity" or the suspects were small-time criminals preying on certain individuals they take fancy of at random.

Witnesses told probers the suspects sped away from the crime scene towards Obando, Bulacan.

Batayan said a follow-up operation is being conducted by his men.

Meanwhile, a patient confined at a Quezon City hospital reportedly leapt to his death shortly before noon Thursday.

Police identified the fatality as Eduardo Baraquel, 45, of New Era Village, Balara, Quezon City.

Initial investigation showed that Baraquel jumped from the fifth floor of the East Avenue Makati Center(EAMC) at around 11:35 a.m. He landed on the concrete roof of the hospital’s walkway.

Baraquel was rushed to the emergency room where attending physicians pronounced him dead at around 11:43 a.m. due to a fractured skull and fatal body injuries.

Hospital staff said Baraquel was suffering from tenseascitis, a chronic liver disease and was admitted to the EAMC on Dec. 5. – Jerry Botial, Matthew Estabillo and Pete Laude