The Makati City police will invite for questioning Chen Tangbin, the live-in partner of 28-year-old kidnapping victim Zhou Mei, to shed light on her abduction in front of the Salustiana D. Ty Tower Building on Paseo de Roxas and Perea in Legazpi Village on Monday night.
READ: Chinese woman abducted in Makati
The screaming victim was dragged into a white van by at least two Chinese-looking men.
Makati police chief investigator Maj. Gideon Ines Jr. said the van’s deed of sale document recovered at the crime scene showed the name and address of Chen.
The authorities had made a visit to Cheng’s condominium unit, also in Legazpi Village, hours after the incident, but the security guard told them he was out to attend a “transaction.”
Aside from Chen, the police has another suspect who could also give them a lead to solve the case.
The police confirmed that Zhou and Chen are employees at a Philippine offshore gaming operators firm based in Makati.
In related developments:
Zhou Mei is a “good” employee of a gambling hub, police said Wednesday, as the investigation focused on her partner and his friend.
Zhou Mei had no debt from or any offense against the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator where she is a manager entrusted with financial matters, according to her employers, Ines said.
The Justice department said Wednesday the Bureau of Immigration had been coordinating with the Chinese Embassy and the Philippine National Police to identify their nationals who may be involved in crimes, including kidnapping so that immigration authorities would be able to prevent their entry here or to deport them.
Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete, who exercises administrative supervision over BI, said the bureau had been coordinating with the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group and with the Chinese Embassy, through its Police Attaché, even before the recent reports about the kidnapping of Chinese nationals happened.
The Tourism department on Wednesday assured foreign visitors that the Philippines remains safe to tourists as coordination continues between the agency and local law enforcement offices.
The assurance was made following the reported kidnapping cases in the country involving mostly Chinese nationals in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.
Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay on Wednesday urged her constituents to report crimes in the city using the Makatizen mobile application to gain instant access and quick response from law enforcers.
Binay reiterated her call following the alleged abduction of Zhou Mei.
“When we witness a crime in progress, the best course of action should be to contact the authorities. We can instantly do it using the Makatizen app’s Maka-SOS feature that allows us to contact police hotlines with just one click,” she said.
Binay said the mobile app was created to bring information and public services, including emergency assistance and response, closer to the people who live, work, do business or spend their leisure time in the country’s premier financial center.
“The app empowers Makatizens to use their mobile phones to keep up with the latest developments at City Hall and to actively participate in the governance of the city. More importantly, it enables them to promptly contact the proper authorities in times of any kind of emergency that require urgent government assistance and intervention,” Binay said.
The Makatizen App was first launched during the 347th Founding Anniversary of Makati City on June 1, 2017, and was initially available for android phones via Play Store. It was the product of a groundbreaking public-private partnership agreement between the City and Neo-Converge ICT Solutions Inc. With Rey E. Requejo and PNA
