By Benjamin Pulta/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday warned the public against individuals preying on tourists in local casinos by lending them gambling money but will detain them if they fail to immediately pay the borrowed amount.
NBI spokesman Ferdinand Lavin reminded the public that if approached by these individuals, “people playing in casinos should approach the hotel staff and security for help immediately”.
Six individuals, composed of five Chinese nationals and a Filipino-Chinese were presented by the NBI for abducting three of their compatriots and detaining them against their will inside a hotel room in Parañaque City.
The NBI said that the victims, all males and aged around 40 to 50 years old, were being asked to pay PHP7 million, which represents the principal and interest of a casino loan for PHP1.5 million.
Three of the abductors, Junrong Jia, Xuejian Li and Quijin Tian, were arrested in the NBI operation.
The three other suspects, Peter Lim Santos, Wang Liping and Au Pang Liang were arrested after they tried to bribe lawmen with PHP1 million inside the NBI Cyber Crime Division headquarters for the release of their compatriots.
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