Philippine police arrest more casino loansharks/kidnappers

Philippine authorities have arrested another gang of kidnappers who preyed on Manila casino high-rollers.

On Tuesday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Kidnapping Group announced the arrest of six individuals suspected of membership in a gang of kidnappers that abducted VIP gamblers from Manila casinos, then detained these gamblers for up to 30 days while demanding ransom from the gamblers’ relatives.

Police said they were alerted to the gang’s existence after South Korean embassy officials reported a South Korean national had gone missing after playing at a casino hotel in Manila. Police tracked the missing person to a house just north of Manila, where they also found another Korean national and a Chinese woman, both of whom had been detained against their will for at least one month.

Police say all three detainees had experienced gambling losses while visiting unidentified Manila casinos, after which they were approached by members of the gang, who offered loans to enable the gamblers to attempt to make up their losses. When these funds were also lost, the gamblers were abducted and locked up in the house.