The Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has issued a warning to the public against people abducting tourists as part of loan sharking scams.
NBI spokesman Ferdinand Lavin told the state-owned Philippine News Agency that in such instances “people playing in casinos should approach the hotel staff and security for help immediately” following the arrests last week of six individuals.
The six individuals, comprising five Chinese nationals and a Filipino-Chinese, stand accused of abducting three people and holding them in a Parañaque City hotel room after they were unable to immediately repay a Php1.5 million loan plus interest. The NBI stated the three detainees were being asked to repay a total of Php7 million.
Three of those arrested reportedly tried to bribe NBI officials for Php1 million.
This latest incident comes two years after Philippine authorities arrested 45 people involved with a loan sharking syndicate following the kidnapping of 48-year-old Singaporean Wu Yan.
