ABDUCTED BUSINESSMAN, DRIVER FOUND DEAD

A STEEL trader and his driver who were kidnapped on March 29 were found dead on Thursday in Rodriguez, Rizal .

Police confirmed that Anson Que, owner of Elison Steel in Valenzuela, and his driver, whose name was not immediately available, were found in Bgy. Macabud in Rodriguez.

The victims’ faces were wrapped in duct tape and their bodies were placed in a nylon bag.

Que and his driver reportedly were killed despite the payment of ransom.

Following the gruesome discovery, newly-promoted Brig. Gen. Elmer Ragay was removed from his post as PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group head and replaced with Col. David Poklay, deputy chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

Calabarzon police director Brig. Gen. Paul Kenneth Lucas rushed to the site where the bodies of the victims were found.

Que and his driver were abducted in Bulacan. Last Tuesday, the businessman’s Lexus LM350 multi-purpose vehicle was found abandoned in Bgy. Bahay Toro in Quezon City.

Residents told police that the Lexus was left by two men wearing hoodies at around 4 p.m. on March 29.

Que’s family reported him missing on March 30, saying he and his driver did not return home and missed their scheduled appointments.

The businessman’s family told police they received a message from the kidnappers demanding millions of dollars in ransom.

Que was kidnapped over a month after a 14-year-old Chinese student was snatched on Feb. 20 as the boy was leaving the British School Manila in Taguig. The boy’s driver was killed.

The kidnappers cut one of the fingers of the boy before abandoning him on Macapagal Boulevard in Parañaque on Feb. 26.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the recent kidnapping and murder of Filipino-Chinese businessman Anson Que,

In a press briefing, Palace Press officer Claire Castro said the government will act on the case, which comes as the Filipino-Chinese community expressed alarm over recent kidnappings.

“Patuloy po ang pag-iimbestiga po dito. Hindi po ito tutulugan ng gobyerno. Ang lahat po na nagaganap dito ay ipinagbilin po ng Pangulo na dapat imbestigahang mabuti para po ma-lessen o ma-eradicate ang mga ganitong klaseng krimen dito sa Pilipinas,” Castro said.

Meanwhile, investigators are looking into the possibility that the crime was linked to a group associated with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).