Grudge over debt ‘root’ of kidnapping involving Korean, his Filipina partner

THE Korean national who allegedly masterminded the kidnapping of a fellow Korean and the latter’s Filipina live-in partner was the one who owed the victim.

This was the claim of Charisse Santiago, who, along with Jun Hyung Chung, was forcibly taken from their apartment in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City last Wednesday.

“Galit talaga siya kay Chung kaya niya nagawa ito (He’s really angry at Chung that’s why he did this),” she said, referring to Song Seng Heum.

Police arrested Heum at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport last Thursday night.

Gregorio Dealagdon, his cousin Richard Dealagdon and Leonard Bolabon, the three men Heum allegedly hired for the job, were arrested outside an uptown bank earlier that day.

Filing of charges

A fourth suspect, Wilfredo Naval, escaped. He was supposed to pick up Heum at the airport but he disappeared after he sensed the police’s presence.

Santiago, during a brief interview at the Cebu City Police Office yesterday, declined to answer more questions on how much money was involved.

Police will file the kidnapping for ransom charges against the four suspects on Monday after they missed the cut-off time for filing at the fiscal’s office.

Police said the local suspects pretended to be operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 when they forced the victims into a car outside their apartment and handcuffed them.

The couple was first taken to Barangay Busay in Cebu City, then to Toledo City, then Balamban, then Carcar City before they were taken back to Cebu City.

More raps

During that time, the suspects allegedly took P200,000 cash from Chung.

The suspects, for their part, denied the accusations.

But PNP Chief Nicanor Bartolome, who was in Cebu for a speaking engagement last Friday, said elements of kidnapping for ransom were present in the incident, regardless of the reasons given for forcibly taking the couple.

Senior Supt. Jose Pante, head of CIDG 7, said they may also file charges against the local suspects for claiming to be members of the special police unit.

In a related development, Paul Pilapil, 40, of Barangay Catarman, Liloan went to the police and filed a case against Gregorio, whom he accused of running off with their lot documents.

He said the suspect allegedly coerced his family into sign the deed of sale and didn’t return.