Victims include workers or gamblers who accumulate debt and are held hostage by the casino or their employers. Some victims are turned over to syndicated collectors who may belong to criminal rings. These victims are tortured and threatened while their families in China are extorted.Chinese women are reportedly being targeted in a new wave of gambling-related kidnappings in the Philippines, to the alarm of Beijing's envoys in Manila and the local Filipino-Chinese community.
Filipino-Chinese were typically targets of kidnappers as they were perceived to be relatively wealthy.MRPO said its "record" showed that at least five snatchings took place each month from January to August this year, or 40-48 cases that were related to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators industry.
To complicate the matter, many kidnap victims have refused to co-operate with local authorities over fears of revealing their gambling activities to the Chinese government, and the possibility that law enforcement officers might have been involved in their abduction. Founding MRPO chair Ang-See also added that when victims' families pay large ransoms quickly, it "encourages more and more kidnappings and shows that crimes pay and pay lucratively".
No need.
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