No case vs Pogo worker’s abductors

MANILA, Philippines — There will be no case filed against the four Chinese men accused of kidnapping a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) worker in Makati City on Dec. 9.

Maj. Gideon Ines Jr., chief of the Makati police investigation, has told the Inquirer they would not be filing kidnapping and serious illegal detention against the suspects who took Zhou Mei after she asked probers to stop their investigation.

The four were identified as Guo Wanshun, Song Xifei, Guo Ebin and Zhang Xipeng according to documents found in separate houses in Pasay and Parañaque cities where they reportedly held Zhou captive for almost a week.

A netizen had uploaded a video of Zhou being dragged inside a grey Chrysler Town and Country minivan while she was shouting for help. The video quickly went viral, prompting authorities to conduct an investigation.

According to Ines, the decision not to file charges was based on the recommendation of their legal department. He said that the complaint would eventually be dismissed by the prosecutor for lack of probable cause without the offended party’s cooperation.

Victim wants to move on

In a letter dated Dec. 18 — three days after her release — addressed to the Makati police chief, Police Col. Rogelio Simon, Zhou said: “[My] only wish is to put an end to the investigation to allow me to move forward with my life and return to my normal routine and pour out all my time, energy and attention [on] my family and my work.”

Despite this, she thanked the police, particularly for “their willingness to make themselves available to further assist me.”

Ines said the letter was handed to them by Zhou’s lawyer and did not contain any additional statement to help them track down the suspects.

“He also did not tell us anything [about] what truly transpired during the six days Zhou was kidnapped,”Ines said of the lawyer who was identified only as Chun.

Based on immigration records, Guo Wanshun managed to leave the country on Dec. 12, while the other three suspects remain at large.

Zhou’s husband, Chen Tanbing, and Zhou’s supervisor who identified herself only as “Coco” also did not cooperate with probers, Ines said.

Work-related kidnapping

Before hitting a dead-end, the investigation showed that the kidnapping was work-related, with police informants saying Zhou might have taken sensitive data from her employer — a Pogo service provider company based in Makati City — who wanted it returned.

Ines said Zhou’s case meant that the two kidnapping incidents in the city involving Pogo workers were already solved.

In August, a Chinese man, Zeng Shu Ming, was reportedly abducted by his compatriots outside a hotel in Barangay La Paz.

Days after, authorities found him “hanging out”with his supposed kidnappers at a hotel in Binondo, Manila.

The victim clarified to police that his “Chinese colleagues” took him to his former office — a Chinese-only gaming company — in Parañaque City so he could settle his obligations and get cleared.