THE four Koreans who held one of their own countrymen hostage for two days when he visited Cebu City last month may be part of a syndicate operating in the country, police said yesterday.
Chief Insp. Fermin Armendarez of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG-7), said they are searching for the suspects whom they believe to be in Manila
A complaint for kidnapping for ransom was filed against two of Kwon Young Hoon’s captors identified as Kim Jong Seok and Choi Se Yong at the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office.
Kwon, a tourist, flew to Cebu City last Aug. 20 and had drinks with a Korean acquaintance in a bar in Mango Square, only to end up being taken by force to a safehouse in Lapu-Lapu City for two days. He was released after friends back in Korea raised $7,000 in ransom.
In his affidavit, Kwon said that during his captivity, he was told to raise funds for his release.
“I was instructed that for every person I will be asking for help, the scenario would be that I met an accident while riding a jetski and I need to pay for its damage worth $40,000 otherwise I can’t go home to Korea,’ said Kwon.
Kwon was later released past 3 a.m. of Aug. 21 and dropped off at the Mactan Cebu International Airpor.
He managed to return home to South Korea yesterday.
In his affidavit, Kwon recounted that he was invited to visit Cebu by his South Korean contact through the Internet.
He said he met his contact at the airport and they headed to a hotel in barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City.
After a drinking session at a Mango Square, the two of them rode a Starex van which was also boarded by two other Koreans.
He said the Koreans started mauling him and pushed his face against the vehicle’s floor. He was blindfolded and brought to a safehouse.
Kwon said he he managed to raise $7,000 from friends in Korea who deposited the money in his bank account.
Kwon said his captors withdrew the money in Cebu. He aws later brought handcuffed inside the van. He was driven to a taxi, which dropped him off at the airport.
Senior Supt. Anthony Obenza, chief of the Lapu-Lapu City police precinct, said they were just informed by the CIDG-7 about Kwon’s detention at a safehouse in barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City right after the incident. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol and Correspondents Chito Aragon and Norman V. Mendoza