Mon, March 16, 2009
MANILA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Philippine police said on Monday that they have arrested three suspected kidnappers responsible for the kidnapping of a seven-year-old boy last week in Pangasinan, the northern Philippines.
The police are now hunting down two more suspects who are at large, said Senior Superintendent Leonardo Espina, a police chief in charge of the operation.
He said criminal charges for kidnapping for ransom are now being prepared against the three suspects who are in police custody.
Russelito Ydia alias Russel, 40 years old; Jessie Cuevas Aquino,27 year old; and Oscar Tiosen, 44 years old were arrested on Saturday, a day after the group received the ransom payment from the family of John Chrish Cedrick Chua Romero, grandson of incumbent Mayor Hermie Romero of the Mangaldan City.
According to Espina, the group allegedly abducting the victim on Wednesday morning immediately made contact with the victim's family to demand a ransom of 3 million pesos (61,856 U.S. dollars).
The victim was subsequently released and was safely returned to his family on Friday, Espina said.
