ZAMBOANGA CITY, (PNA) –The police have launched an operation in a bid to rescue a businessman kidnapped Saturday in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, an official disclosed.
Police Regional Office-9 (RPO-9) information officer Chief Insp. Ariel Huesca said that investigation is also under way to ascertain the identities of the kidnappers.
Huesca identified the victim as Lee Tan, 37, who owns a business establishment at the Agora Complex in Pagadian City, the capital of Zamboanga del Sur province.
Huesca said that Melfe, the victim’s wife, reported that her husband left the Agora Complex around noon Saturday and travelled to Aurora town, also in Zamboanga del Sur, purposely to pay debt to a certain Ruby.
Melfe further told the police that she contacted her husband around 1:00 p.m. “regarding on how much she would pay to a certain Jun Yap.”
“The victim, during their conversation, confirmed to his wife that he was in Aurora municipality,” Huesca said.
He said that Tan’s wife called again her husband around 3:00 p.m. “but his cellphone was already out of coverage area.”
He said that one of the alleged kidnappers called the victim’s wife using the cellphone of her husband around 3:30 p.m. and demanded P500,000 as ransom in exchange for the immediate release of the victim.
He said police forces have recovered around 6:46 p.m. the black Suzuki Vannete of the victim with registered plate number JEA-205 in Barangay Eastern Bobongan, Ramon Magsaysay, Zamboanga Del Sur.
Huesca said that all the police stations in Zamboanga del Sur were ordered to conduct checkpoints and chokepoints while rescue operation for the rescue of the victim and for possible arrest of the abductors is under way.