Vietnamese man believed killed over money owed to him

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — A Vitenamese businessman living in Abra may have been kidnapped and killed over money he had lent someone, provincial police said.

Police Lt. Col. Maly Cula, Abra police director, said initial probe results point suggest that money lent by Vo Tien Dung, 46, might have led to someone killing him instead of paying him back. Dung was found dead in a ravine in Barangay San Marcial, San Isidro town in Abra before New Year.

Dung was reported missing on December 28, 2022. In the afternoon of December 31, two students found him dumped along the provincial road in Barangay San Marcial. 

They reported what they saw at nearby police station in Villaviciosa town who, in turn reported the discovery to San Isidro cops.

Police Executive Master Sergeant Simon Mariano, San Isidro deputy chief, said they immediately went to the scene and found the body, which he said was already decomposing. He added police were able to identify the victim as some of his clothes matched the description of those worn by Dung when he went missing.

Dung was found wearing gray pants but no upper garments.

Mariano also said that — according to the pathologist who examined Dung's remains — the victim had been strangled to death. The body also had a wound that could have been from a sharp object or a bullet.

The police have accessed footage from security cameras near the scene. — The STAR/Artemio Dumlao