Malaysian, Chinese tourists kidnapped by Filipino police for over $43,000 ransom

Two of the officers onboard motorcycles flagged down a luxury car carrying three Chinese and a Malaysian over the weekend, while their armed civilian cohorts handcuffed and dragged the four tourists into a van. Two of the Chinese managed to escape and notified authorities, police said.

The remaining captives were beaten by the kidnappers but freed overnight after payment of a 2.5-million-peso (US$43,100) ransom, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said.

Information provided by the freed tourists and images from security cameras led to the arrest of the four police, including a police major, he said.

A security camera footage the police obtained showed the suspected kidnappers, including one who appeared to be in police uniform, stopping a car then forcibly pulling out its passengers in full view of many passing motorists. One of the passengers is seen struggling to break loose as he was shoved into a van.

"I was shocked that policemen were the ones involved," Abalos said in a news conference, where the four police were presented in handcuffs and orange detainee shirts. "This incident is a serious breach of public trust and core values of the police force."

Police said they’re looking for at least 10 other suspects who were not police but implicated in the kidnapping.

Police said they filed criminal complaints for kidnapping, carjacking and robbery against the suspects.