A 48-year-old Singaporean woman, who was abducted at a lobby of a casino in Manila, was rescued by Philippine authorities on Tuesday, the local media reported. According to ABS-CBN news reports, Wu Yan was reportedly kidnapped at the Solaire Resort and Casino. The authorities rescued her from a condominium unit after security guards noticed her feet dangling from the balcony.
The police said that 45 suspects from China and Malaysia have been arrested in this matter. The kidnappers allegedly beaten and threatened Wu and demanded a ransom of US$180,000.
Glenn Dumlao, Philippine National Police-Anti Kidnapping Group, said that the suspects called the victim's family members while beating her to pressure them into paying the ransom. He added that the rescue operation was launched by the authorities on Monday night.
He added that authorities launched the rescue operation on Monday night. "We got a break from the information that Solaire (Resort and Casino) gave us. We traced the taxi used, a Toyota Avanza," Dumlao told ABS-CBN.
The Philippine authorities said that the kidnappers belong to a loan shark syndicate that target foreign high-roller casino players. "There's no forcible abduction because they lure the victim by continuously offering loans. And then they will say, 'You do not have good luck here in Solaire' or 'You have bad luck in City of Dreams. Let's move to Okada (another casino), maybe you will have better luck there.' The victim will usually follow, believing that she or he will be able to recoup (their losses)," Dumlao said.
