By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – The Southern Police District (SPD) demonstrated its three-minute response capability as police officers in Makati City rescued a Vietnamese woman and arrested three Chinese suspects in a coordinated operation early Friday.
In a report, the SPD said the Makati City Police Station carried out the rescue operation in Barangay San Lorenzo, with support from the Station Intelligence Section, District Mobile Force Battalion (DMFB), Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), and Tactical Motorcycle Riding Unit (TMRU).
The three suspects were identified by their aliases Lei, 32; Xing, 33; and Zhou, 38.
Recovered from the suspects were a 9mm Taurus pistol with suppressor, magazine with five rounds; a .22 Jennings pistol with suppressor, magazine with five rounds; six sachets of suspected shabu; one large sachet of suspected shabu weighing around 20 grams; a small bottle of suspected liquid ecstasy; a pair of handcuffs; boodle money; a Hyundai Starex van; six car keys; two mobile phones; and various drug paraphernalia.
Background checks revealed that Lei is a repeat offender with prior records involving kidnapping, illegal detention, illegal possession of firearms, and carnapping, which showed his involvement in organized crime networks.
The operation stemmed from the report received by the Makati CPS Investigation and Detective Management Section regarding a 33-year-old Vietnamese national who was being held captive by the suspects who demanded a ransom of 500 million Vietnamese dong (around PHP1 million) from her husband, who is currently based abroad.
The suspects threatened to mutilate the victim if the ransom was not paid.
The victim’s husband relayed the threat to a friend in the Philippines, who quickly reported it to the local police. Makati operatives coordinated with SPD units to plan the operation.
Initial investigation revealed that on June 2, the suspects lured the victim to meet them in Makati City.
When the victim arrived at a friend’s condominium in Bel-Air, she was forcibly taken by the suspects to another condominium in Barangay San Lorenzo, where they raped her.
The following day, the suspects transported her to Tagaytay, where she was again raped, drugged, and filmed by additional perpetrators before being brought back to Makati for the extortion attempt.
During the operation, a Filipino woman who turned out to be a companion of one of the suspects attempted to mislead the responding team.
However, during questioning, she confirmed the presence of another woman inside the unit.
As the police prepared to enter, they heard the suspects cocking a firearm inside, prompting them to call for immediate reinforcement.
The suspects are currently detained at the Makati City Police Station Custodial Facility and would face charges for illegal drug possession, kidnapping, ransom, rape, illegal possession of firearms, and human trafficking. (PNA)
