Teen Chinese businessman abducted in Zambo town

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Gunmen, suspected to be members of a kidnap-for-ransom group, seized a young Chinese businessman inside his store Thursday night in a town of Zamboanga Sibugay province, security officials said.

Senior Superintendent Jose Bayani Gucela, spokesman of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO), identified the victim as Li Pei Zhel, 18, a Chinese national who operates a sales center in Kabasalan town.

Citing investigation findings, Gucela said the victim was identified through an identification card and documents recovered from the victim’s house.

Gucela said four unidentified armed men barged into the store of Li and took him at gunpoint about 6 p.m Thursday.

"The store helpers were stunned when the gunmen came in and seized the owner of Kabasalan Sales Center," Gucela said.

Gucela said the abductors were swift dragging the victim into a getaway multicab van with plate number JBH 581 that ran to the shoreline of sitio Mangahas in Barangay Timuay Danda.

The victim was then transferred to a motorized pumpboat toward an undetermined location, the police official said.

A pursuit operation was launched by joint police and military forces while village watchmen were tapped as force multipliers to locate and rescue the victim.

Capt. Franco Suelto, spokesman of 1st Army Division, said military troops reached coastal areas in Zamboanga peninsula and as far as Basilan and Sulu to locate the abductors and their young captive.

The Public Safety Company, a combat police unit led by Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca have also rounded up all unregistered motorized pumpboats and motorized bancas to secure the coastal areas.

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