Filipino-Chinese trader kidnapped in S. Philippines

A Filipino-Chinese businessman was abducted in southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur, local police said Sunday.

Police Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, Zamboanga's regional police spokesman, said that the victim was identified as Lee Tan, 37, owner of a store in Agora Complex, Pagadian City.

The victim's wife reported to the Pagadian City Police Station that her husband was allegedly kidnapped by unidentified suspects Saturday afternoon.

Initial investigation disclosed that the victim left the store at about Saturday on board his vehicle to go to nearby Aurora town to pay debt to a certain Ruby.

After about three hours, the wife could no longer contact the victim through his cellular phone.

At around 3:30 p.m. local time, one of the suspects contacted the victim's wife using Tan's phone and demanded 500,000 pesos (11, 550 U.S. dollars) as ransom payment.

The police recovered the victim's vehicle later Saturday day at Eastern Bobongan village in the province's Ramon Magsaysay town.

Zamboanga police have launched pursuit operation for the rescue of the victim and arrest of the suspects, Huesca said.