Man kidnaps 5-year-old Filipino-Japanese girl

Makati police officers arrested Friday night a man who reportedly kidnapped and held hostage a five-year-old Filipino-Japanese girl in a house in Barangay Western Bicutan, Taguig City.

Makati police chief Senior Superintendent Gilbert Cruz identified the suspect as Myro Matratar, 28, of Barangay Bagong Lupa, Davao City.

A team from the Makati Police Follow-up Section conducted the operation after receiving information concerning the whereabouts of Ai Kobayashi, the daughter of a Japanese national and a Filipina.

Kobayashi was safely rescued from a house in Palar, Barangay Western Bicutan in Taguig at around 8:30 p.m.

Kobayashi’s mother, Edna, 40, earlier told police that her daughter was kidnapped while they were ordering food at a Jollibee branch in Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City last July 27.

A day after the victim was kidnapped, Matratar demanded P50,000 from Edna as ransom money. The Kobayashis are temporarily staying at a house in Binangonan, Rizal.

The police immediately conducted follow-up operations in different areas of Metro Manila.

It was when they received a tip that Kobayashi was being kept somewhere in Taguig that they proceeded to the site and successfully rescued Kobayashi.

A kidnapping case is being readied against Matratar, who said he was forced to commit the crime because his family badly needs money. – Rhodina Villanueva