The reported kidnapping of a South Korean businessman by a crooked policeman, who allegedly used President Duterte’s unyielding war on drugs to carry out the crime, was a “matter of concern,” a Malacañang official said on Sunday.
Dubbed as “Tokhang for ransom,” the ploy has cops knocking on the doors of big businessmen in the fashion of the national law enforcement project, only this one involves kidnapping and extortion.
Police involved
Ernesto Abella, Mr. Duterte’s spokesperson, deferred to comment fully on the case of Jee Ick-joo, 53, who was forcibly taken on Oct. 18 from his house in Angeles City by two men, one of whom was allegedly a member of the Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (PNP-AIDG) in Camp Crame.
He said he would still have to confirm from the authorities the circumstances regarding the foreign national’s disappearance.
“We can say that it’s a matter of concern, but it’s not alarming because the police scalawags are already existing,” Abella told the Inquirer in a mobile phone interview.
“I will confirm this case and I’ll see what I can do,” he added.
Earlier, Jee’s wife, Choi Kyung-jin, said in an interview that she has no plans to go after the kidnappers. “I am just after my husband,” she said.
She said she hoped the President would use his authority to locate her husband’s whereabouts.
