Drug witness’ daughter kidnapped

MANILA, Philippines - Armed men on Sunday snatched a four-year-old daughter of a male witness against a foreign drug ring operating a shabu laboratory in the country.

Sources told The STAR that the child’s father worked as a driver for the drug syndicate. Police have yet to verify the report.

The child was kidnapped in Manila while she and her aunt were about to leave for Bicol as the girl’s father had been arrested by law enforcers.

Sources said members of the drug ring kidnapped the girl, supposedly to stop her father from revealing the group’s illegal activities.

“The father knew about the plan so he instructed his sister to take his daughter to Bicol,” the source said.

The girl and her aunt arrived in Manila from Olongapo on Sunday night.

Her aunt had in her possession documents and videos that would prove the existence of the shabu laboratory. She was about to turn the evidence to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency but the kidnappers took these from her.

According to her, a maroon Toyota Revo with license plates WBY-401 stopped in front of them at around 8:45 p.m. along Bustillos street in Sampaloc, Manila.

Five men got out of the car and grabbed her and her niece.

They drove around Manila until they reached Pedro Gil street where she jumped out of the vehicle, leaving the girl behind.

She reported the incident to the Manila Police District.