Cops launch manhunt for 4 kidnap suspects

Police launched a manhunt for the remaining kidnappers that escaped after law enforcers rescued a Chinese-Filipino businessman and gunned down three kidnap-for-ransom gang members during a shootout last Friday night in Caloocan City.

Superintendent Rafael Santiago, Northern Police District Intelligence and Investigation Division chief, identified the slain suspects as Bryan Diario, leader of the gang, Joselito Rinos, and another suspect identified only as Romy.

Santiago said the responding policemen rescued at around 9 p.m. kidnap victim Eric Tan, 29, at the suspects’ safehouse at Barangay 176, Bagong Silang in Caloocan City.

Police have launched a manhunt for the four other suspects that were able to escape during the shootout.

"We have been conducting a case build-up for Diario’s kidnap-for-ransom gang for several weeks already and last night we busted them when the group struck in Valenzuela," Santiago said.

Tan told investigators that Diario and two suspects abducted him at around 6:30 p.m. when he was about to leave their plastic manufacturing company’s office in Fortune Village, Barangay Parada in Valenzuela City.

He said that he and his mother were on board an L-300 van when the suspects on board a green Mitsubishi Lancer with licensed plates PHX-823 suddenly blocked their path.

Three men, all armed with handguns, alighted from the car and approached the victim’s vehicle.

"I was told by one of the suspects to just follow his orders so that I would not be hurt," Tan told The STAR.

The suspects dragged Tan at gunpoint into the get-away vehicle and was forced to wear dark eyeglasses. "That served as my blindfold," Tan said.

The suspects brought him to their safehouse in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City where he was later rescued unharmed by responding police.

Tan’s kin first reported the incident to Superintendent Billy Beltran, Valenzuela City police chief, who immediately informed NPD director Chief Superintendent Pedro Tango of the abduction.

Tango directed Santiago to direct the NPD police force to conduct a dragnet against the suspects.

"It did not take long and they traced them for we already knew at least two of their safehouses. One in Bagong Silang and another in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan," Santiago said.

As the rescue team, trained on close quarter battle, approached the suspects’ two-story safehouse, they were met by gunfire, Santiago said.

During the shootout, three of the suspects were killed while four others escaped.

Police recovered from the slain suspects two caliber .45 pistols, a homemade caliber .30 revolver, magazines loaded with bullets and two hand grenades.

Also recovered were the suspects’ get-away vehicle, and a motorcycle.