The kidnapping of a Cebu Eastern College student reported yesterday turned out to be fake, according to local police.
Police officials told reporters during a press conference this morning that the 21-year-old student was initially reported to have been kidnapped in Cebu City and then found this morning in Liloan, a town 21 km. away
ABS-CBN News identified the student who allegedly faked her kidnapping as Kristel Jade Wety.
Yesterday, her brother posted on Facebook a messenger conversation they had exchanged at the time Wety was supposedly kidnapped.
The post has been taken down but local newspaper The Freeman reported the exchange in their story published earlier today.
The first text message sent at 5:55am on Monday read: “PMQ-128 black van.”
Wety’s next message said in Cebuano: “Ate (big sister) help me, I’m in an unfamiliar place with two black persons, another caucasian foreigner, and two Filipinos — they’re big people. Sister, I don’t know where I am, help me.”
“Ate, please have mercy on me, I’m so scared,” she also said.
At around 9am, someone, presumably the kidnapper or someone pretending to be the kidnapper, sent a message using Wety’s account and said: “STOP FINDING HER! SHE’S MINE. I DON’T CARE, I WANT HER. YOU CANT SEE HER ANYMORE.”
After nearly 24 hours of searching, Wety was found by village officials in Liloan and was turned over to police.
She was found with her wrists tied up with a cell phone charger but there were no kidnappers around.
After police started questioning Wety, they found inconsistencies in her story.
First, the plate number she provided was registered to a van in Metro Manila. Second, she had no bruises or injuries on her body even if she told her brother that the kidnappers assaulted her.
Wety then admitted to police officials that she had made up the story.
The motive, according to local newspaper SunStar Cebu, was that she lost PHP4,000 (US$80) entrusted to her by the school dean from the proceeds of “books sold to students.”
The report did not specify why she was assigned to handle the money or any other details about the book sale.
Wety was allegedly pressured by the dean to produce the money so she faked her kidnapping.
Wety is originally from Leyte and will face charges for faking her kidnapping but she will not be held in police custody.
