TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese man was rescued from an abduction ring in a successful collaboration between the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines, the de facto embassy, and local police.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines said in a press conference on Tuesday (Oct. 4) that the victim surnamed Li (李) met a transgender Chinese Filipino in August and was seduced by the person to a pub in Metro Manila’s Parañaque on the night of Sept. 3. The meeting ended in his kidnapping by a criminal ring called Warla.

The group sent photos of abused and injured Li to his family and asked for a ransom of 500,000 Philippine pesos (PHP), or around US$8,525. With the assistance of the office, 300,000 PHP was paid and Li was rescued on Sept. 7 in a raid by the military and police of the Philippines.

The raid resulted in the arrests of five suspects and confiscation of four firearms and ammunition, with four suspects remaining at large.

According to the office, Warla was founded in 2018, comprising mostly members of the transgender community. The perpetrators hunt potential foreign victims via dating apps and abduct and lock them up before demanding ransoms from their families.

Abductions have occurred in Metro Manila’s Parañaque, Pasay, Taguig, and Makati. At least 14 individuals have fallen victim to the crime, mostly Asians. The ring has extorted 5 million PHP and used the funds for gender reassignment surgery.

Press conference for busting kidnapping ring in the Philippines. (CNA photo)