Philippine police reported that on Monday they successfully rescued an Indian businessman being held for ransom. The man didn’t make off without a scratch however as the kidnappers had already off his finger and sent it to his wife for blackmail.
The rescue attempt resulted in the death of 4 kidnappers at their Santa Maria hideout 23 miles North of Manila. According to a story in the Manila Times, police waited several days before going public with the story as they were still tracking down other members of the kidnapping gang.
The man, Gurtej Singh, was meeting with clients near Manila on December 22 when armed men abruptly seized him and his wife. The wife was subsequently released on December 29 for a ransom of P227,000 and notified the police shortly thereafter.
The gang responsible for the kidnapping is also believed to have been responsible for capturing a Taiwanese girl from January 9 to January 11.
Kidnapping has long been a serious problem in the Philippines.
