Three Chinese men were nabbed by the police for abducting, drugging, and raping a 33-year-old Vietnamese woman and demanding P1 million ransom from her husband following a rescue operation inside a condominium unit in Makati City on early Friday morning, June 6.

In a press conference, Makati Police chief Col. Jean Dela Torre and Southern Police District (SPD) director Brig. Gen. Joseph Arguelles presented the seized pistols and other recovered pieces of evidence from the suspects identified as "Lei," 32; "Xing," 33; and "Zhou," 38.

The police received a report from a Vietnamese national saying that his friend, who turned out to be the victim's husband based overseas, received a message from his wife's captors demanding 500 million Vietnamese Dong equivalent to P1 million from him in exchange for his wife's release.

The suspects also threatened to cut off the victim's fingers if her husband fails to comply with their demands.

This prompted the police to launch a rescue operation after pinpointing the exact location of the suspects in Barangay San Lorenzo.

"During the rescue, a Filipina woman, allegedly the girlfriend of one of the suspects, was sent out of the unit, presumably to speak with the responding police officers and deflect suspicion. When questioned, she confirmed that there was another woman inside the unit, although she claimed not to have seen the victim’s face. Moments later, the door was locked behind her, effectively leaving her outside," the Makati City Police said.

"Upon knocking again, police heard the suspects cocking a firearm, prompting them to call for reinforcement since the suspects were armed and dangerous. Responding SWAT and TMRU units came in immediately to secure the area, leading to the suspects’ arrest and recovery of several pieces of evidence," operatives said.

Police officers recovered two suppressed pistols with live ammunition, P136,800 worth of shabu, liquid ecstasy, and other drug paraphernalia.

Further investigation revealed that the suspects lured the victim to meet in Makati on June 2 where she was forcibly taken from her friend's condominium unit in Barangay Bel-Air and brought to the suspects' unit in San Lorenzo.

There, the victim was repeatedly raped, drugged, and filmed by the suspects, before extorting money from her husband.

Police also revealed that Lei has been involved in multiple criminal cases, including kidnapping, illegal detention, illegal possession of firearms, and carnapping.

"His record reflects a pattern of criminal behavior as his name surfaced in various police blotters across different jurisdictions, indicating his deep entrenchment in illicit activities and raising serious concerns about his continued presence and operations in the country," Dela Torre said.

The suspects were placed under the custody of the Makati City Police and are detained at the Makati City Police Station Custodial Facility while criminal charges are being readied against them.

"This operation once again proves that with coordinated police action and real-time communication, the Makati City Police Station remains at the forefront of upholding law and order, relentlessly working to meet the objectives set by the Chief PNP under the revitalized PNP program for public safety and swift justice," Dela Torre noted.