MANILA: Authorities have identified five foreigners and three Filipinos as persons of interest (POIs) in the abduction and killing of two Chinese business executives whose bodies were found in Camarines Sur province.
In a press briefing in Camp Crame, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said this information on the case of Kefu Xia and Jimmy Jing Sun, a Chinese-American national, came from Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr.
‘Ang development siguro na sinasabi ng ating SILG (Secretary of the Interior and Local Government) Atty. Benhur Abalos ay yung identification itong mga POIs at may mga pangalan na rin tayo at maganda yung tinatakbo. Sabi ko nga one information shared to us ng AKG (Anti-Kidnapping Group) ay inaayos lang nila yung ibang mga dokumento at naka-prepare na isampa itong kaso na ito (The development being referred to by our SILG Atty. Benhur Abalos is the identification of the POIs. We have names and the case has a good progress. As I have said, one information shared to us by the AKG is they
are organizing other documents and they are now preparing to file the case),” Fajardo said.
So far, she said no POIs are under police custody.
‘Again, the AKG requested not to divulge too much details. The families and the (Chinese) Embassy have also requested a discreet investigation as much as possible,” Fajardo said.
She added they are also coordinating with their foreign counterparts to obtain more pieces of evidence on the case.
“It was not here where the victims’ business dealings or transactions originated because accordingly, they were just invited here for some business ventures. They met other people in another country. It’s not only Philippine law enforcers who are investigating this case,” Fajardo said.
Initial investigation showed the two foreigners arrived in the country on June 20 to meet other Chinese nationals for a business venture. However, the victims were fetched by a still unknown group upon their arrival.
Fajardo said the victims even managed to contact their families on the same
day before they disappeared.
On June 21, the wife of one of the victims received demands for ransom asking for 5 million yuan. After negotiations, the amount was lowered to 3 million yuan and was sent by victims’ family to the kidnappers.
On June 23, a lawyer of one of the victims reported the matter to Chinese authorities, who then relayed the information to the PNP.
The following day, the remains of the two victims were found dead beside a cliff in Sitio Rawis, Barangay Patitinan, Sagñay, Camarines Sur.
Source: Philippines News Agency