The Philippine National Police (PNP) is now conducting an investigation into the reported kidnapping of a 14-year old foreign student who went missing after attending an activity of an international school in Taguig City last week.

Based on the report of the PNP-Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), the Chinese student was picked up by the family driver from the school on Feb. 20. The student, however, did not arrive home and went missing since then.

The family of the student sought police assistance after failing to establish contact the whole day.

PNP chief, Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil urged the public not to share unverified information relating to the incident, including claims of ransom payment and mutilation of a body part of the victim.

“We urge everyone to avoid spreading unverified information that may cause unnecessary alarm. We assure the public that law enforcement agencies are conducting a thorough investigation but we appeal to refrain from making premature conclusions,” said Marbil.

But the initial investigation indicates a possible link of the incident to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

This was confirmed by Marbil himself who said that one of the angles being pursued is the ongoing tensions within business networks affected by law enforcement operations against illegal POGO activities.

Based on the initial AKG intelligence report, a family member of the missing student was previously involved in the POGO industry and high-stakes e-commerce dealings.

This, according to Marbil, suggests business-related conflicts as a strong angle in the investigation.

“Investigators are also examining patterns of incidents where Chinese syndicates have targeted fellow Chinese nationals due to disputes over illicit business operations, particularly within underground gambling and cyber fraud industries,” said Marbil.

At the height of POGO operations in the country, the PNP-AKG monitored a sudden increase in kidnapping cases involving foreign POGO workers. 

In the previous operations of the PNP-AKG and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), law enforcers discovered a pattern of brutality being committed by POGO-linked Chinese groups, including torture of the victims.  

Last year, President Marcos ordered a ban on POGO but several groups are still maintaining guerrilla operations which prompted the PNP to create tracker teams.