MANILA: Philippines authorities have initiated efforts to find the six Chinese nationals who were abducted in the capital region this week, police said on Thursday.
Police anti-kidnapping chief Cosme Abrenica said authorities were investigating the abduction of nine individuals on Monday in an upscale neighbourhood in southern Metro Manila.
Among the victims, six were Chinese, who remain missing, and three were Filipino who were released shortly after their abduction.
Abrenica stated, “We currently lack information about the motives behind the incident, whether it was a case of kidnap-for-ransom or some other reason. We have not been able to establish the motive as of now.”
No specific details about the identities or status of the victims within the Philippines were disclosed by Abrenica. Meanwhile, Philip Aguilar, the police chief of Calauan town where the Filipino victims were found, reported that one of the survivors mentioned that the kidnappers forcibly entered their residence in the early hours of Monday.
The Chinese embassy in Manila said it had noted a request from Reuters for comment.
While police said the motive for this week’s kidnapping remains unclear, China has previously expressed concerns to the Philippines government about its citizens being enticed into working for online gaming companies and subsequently falling victim to deception, extortion, and exploitation in what has been referred to as “modern slavery.”
