Kidnapping-Related Incidents – October 2023
In October 2023, PSA Intelligence recorded eight (8) kidnapping incidents.
PSA Consultancy recorded eight kidnapping-related incidents involving eighteen (18) victims in October 2023. The majority of these incidents were personal dispute-related. Two incidents were perpetrated by a Kidnap-for-Ransom (KFR) group, and both incidents involved or demanded ransom payments worth PHP 26 million (USD 463,764.08).
Of the eighteen kidnap victims reported during the period, ten were foreign victims – nine of Chinese nationality and one Hong Kong citizen. PSA recorded zero kidnapping incidents targeting Western nationals this month. Based on the recorded incidents, three abductions occurred within Metro Manila, while the other incidents took place in the provinces of Quezon, Batangas, Bohol, Davao del Sur, and Sultan Kudarat.
None of the kidnapping incidents resulted in the demise of the victims. Based on PSA data, four abductions involved suspects of Chinese nationality targeting fellow Chinese nationals. While these were not explicitly POGO or gambling-related incidents, PSA notes that Chinese-on-Chinese kidnapping incidents persist from month to month since 2021. Nonetheless, these continue to be very specific and targeted abductions that more or less may have something to do with gambling-related debt or other financial motivations.
PSA recorded four successful kidnapping rescue operations this month. The operations were in response to three personal dispute-related incidents and one NPA incident. The personal dispute-related victims were held by their captors for one to two days prior to their rescue, while the NPA-abducted victim was held for an unknown length of time.
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