Kidnapping-Related Incidents – January 2022
In January 2022, PSA Intelligence recorded twelve (12) kidnapping incidents.
Most of the kidnapping incidents recorded in January 2022 were personal dispute-related. Out of the total number of kidnapping incidents this month, eight incidents were personal dispute-related and four incidents were gambling-related. Based on the recorded incidents, the amount of ransom money demanded by the abductors ranged from PHP 300,000 (USD 5,843) to PHP 1.12 million (USD 21,855).
There have been 29 kidnap victims reported in January, five of them were foreign victims – one Indian and four Chinese nationals. PSA recorded no kidnapping incidents targeting Western nationals this month. Based on the recorded incidents, four abductions occurred within Metro Manila, five incidents took place in the provinces in Luzon, two incidents in Visayas, and one incident in Mindanao.
Out of the 12 abductions this month, three incidents resulted in the demise of victims. Two of the incidents were perpetrated by unidentified armed suspects, where in one incident the assailants killed four men. Analysts note that the suspects seemed to have other motivation other than abducting the victims. The incident appeared to have been done to transfer the victims to another location for eventual execution. In the other incident, the suspects abducted three individuals for ransom, where one of the victims was killed. Meanwhile, the other abduction involved a police officer who kidnapped one Indian national for ransom. Analysts note that seven kidnapping incidents perpetrated by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were recorded in 2021.
PSA recorded four successful kidnap rescue operations this month. The operations were in response to personal dispute-related abductions targeting four Chinese nationals and one Filipino. The victims were held by their captors in less than a day to 10 days prior to their rescue.
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