Duterte orders ‘lockdown’ in Davao City to catch kidnappers

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. FILE PHOTO

DAVAO CITY, Philippines–Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the police and the military to “lock down” the city as pursuit operations against at least 10 fleeing suspected kidnappers intensified.

Duterte said all points of exit and entry to the city had been sealed and only after thorough inspections that motorists will be allowed to proceed.

He said authorities were serious and anybody defying the tightened inspection will be dealt with accordingly.

Duterte said he wants the fleeing suspects captured at all costs, even if it means the police shooting them dead.

“I told you criminals, don’t come to this city,” he said.

On Thursday afternoon, three members of the kidnap for ransom gang–which authorities described as a big syndicate operating in the Visayas and Luzon–were killed during a shootout with the police as they were trying to collect the P15-million ransom payment from Manila-based businesswoman Sally Chua, whom they abducted on July 5.

Another gang member was arrested as Davao authorities–who were reportedly earlier tipped off by law enforcers in Manila–swooped down at an Allied Bank here, where the payoff was supposed to take place.

It was learned that at least 15 gang members traveled all the way from Manila to this city on board three Montero SUVs after Chua convinced them to receive the ransom money here.

Senior Supt. Ronald dela Rosa, city police chief, said Chua had hoped that the police here would discover the kidnappers’ presence and she would be freed.

Chua, Dela Rosa said, also heavily banked on Duterte’s tough stance against criminals as one way of ending her predicament.

He said as the city had been locked down, authorities were also placed under full alert status.

The police have also placed the arrested suspect under interrogation to extract information that could lead to the capture of the other gang members.