Chinese woman probed over ‘kidnap me’

MANILA, Philippines —  From being a victim, a Chinese woman is being investigated by police for allegedly staging her own kidnapping in Manila to collect money from her employer.

Police announced on Wednesday the arrest of two suspects – a Taiwanese and a Filipino – in the kidnapping of a Chinese woman identified only as Zhou, 41.

Zhou was reportedly kidnapped in Malate, Manila on April 17.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) even released a statement commending lawmen responsible for the arrest of the supposed kidnapping suspects in Las Piñas and Pasay.

However, an investigation by the Anti-Kidnapping Group and the Manila Police District showed that the victim staged her own kidnapping.

At a news briefing yesterday, PNP public information officer Col. Randulf Tuano said Zhou hoodwinked the company she was working for of P500,000 in cash.

Tuano cited several circumstances, which raised suspicions of police investigators.

Instead of the kidnappers, Tuano said it was Zhou who informed her co-employers and reported that she was kidnapped.

She even instructed her co-workers to transfer the ransom demand of P500,000 to a cryptocurrency account.

Zhou also told her fellow employees that she would be gone for two to three days.

There was also no commotion in front of the condominium building where Zhou was supposedly kidnapped, police said.

She was casually dropped off near a coffee shop at a mall in Parañaque on April 20, according to probers.

Tuano said Zhou refused to execute a complaint affidavit, which would be the basis for the filing of charges against her supposed kidnappers.

“We are looking into it as a case of ‘kidnap me,’ ” Tuano said.