TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Philippine police rescued three kidnapped foreign nationals, including a Taiwanese woman and two Chinese men, after shooting three Chinese suspects dead and arresting a Filipino suspect at the end of February, Liberty Times reported.

According to the investigation by Taiwan’s representative office in the Philippines, the rescued Taiwanese is a 31-year-old woman surnamed Lee (李), per Liberty Times. She was wanted by prosecutors in Taiwan before fleeing to Pasay City in Manila.

Before being abducted by the kidnapping ring, Lee was living with a Filipina woman, while both worked in the online gambling industry, according to the newspaper. The kidnapping ring targeted wealthy males who drove luxury cars and blackmailed victims’ families for money, per Liberty Times.

Lee, who liked to groom herself like a man, fell prey to the ring because she was wearing a mask and was mistaken as a male by the kidnappers.

At around 1 a.m. on February 15, when Lee and her Philippine roommate were about to go home after having a late night snack, eight armed bandits in three cars forced her into a car. Shocked by what she saw, the roommate immediately reported the incident to local police, Liberty Times reported.

On the same day, the Philippine woman received a video from the kidnappers via the communication software Telegram, showing Lee handcuffed and crying, as well as a demand for two million Philippine Pesos for her release. The next day, the Filipina received another video showing kidnappers hitting Lee’s hands and feet as well as frequent messages asking her about how much of the ransom had been prepared, per the newspaper.

On Feb. 21, Lee’s Filipina roommate sought assistance from Taiwan’s representative office, which immediately contacted the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group and helped file a report.

When the Philippine military and police were investigating the case, they came across a kidnapped Chinese man escaping from an apartment in Pasay City on Feb. 25, who tipped them off about the kidnapping ring.

Two days later, the Philippine law enforcement followed leads and arrested a Filipino suspect, and then they stormed a villa in Parañaque, where they exchanged fire with three Chinese suspects, shot them dead, and rescued Lee from a dog cage and another Chinese man who had been held captive for a month, per Liberty Times. They seized the ring’s ammunition, fake license plates, military uniforms, police T-shirts, and other stolen objects and evidence, per Liberty Times.

Lee was placed at a detention center, waiting to be deported back to Taiwan.