THE husband of the Chinese woman who was abducted by Chinese men in Makati City on Monday evening is now considered a person of interest.
Makati City Police Chief Rogelio Simon said Chen Tangbin gave "inconsistent answers" to questions on his whereabouts before and after his wife, Zhou Mei, was taken. Chen also did not immediately report the incident to the police.
"There were some questions na ibinato namin sa kanya. The same question inuulit-ulit namin, every time na sumasagot siya, may mga details na pabago-bago 'yung kaniyang location, kung nasaan siya during this time, at anong ginawa niya before nangyari, at 'yung certain time na kung nasaan siya. Mayroon siyang binabanggit na oras at lugar, at vinerify namin na wala siya doon," Simon said.
(We asked him the same question. Every time, his answer changed a bit. We asked him where he was and what he was doing before the incident. He mentioned that he was at a certain place at a certain time. When we verified, we found out that he was not there.)
"'Yung concentration namin ngayon nasa kanya because mayroong siyang mga details na malamang maibibigay sa amin that will lead to the resolution of the case," he added.
(We are now focusing on him because we believe he could provide some details that would lead to the resolution of the case.)
Simon said Chen claimed that he ensured the security of his mother-in-law before going to the police due to fear that she will also be targeted by his wife’s abductors.
Makati City Police Criminal Investigation Unit chief Police Major Gideon Ines said they are now considering Chen along with several of his friends as a persons of interest in the incident.
He said Chen was silent when asked about the possible abductors of his wife.
“Silent siya doon. Tinatanong din natin ‘yan kung maaaring kilala mo ba kung sino ang kumuha kasi casually lumapit naman ‘yung babae sa van bago siya nakuha then pagsakay niya parang gulat ‘yung babae na siya’y hinila na,” Ines said.
(We also asked him if he knew his wife's abductors because his wife casually approached the van before she was forced into the vehicle.)
Ines said Chen is jobless while his wife is the manager of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo).
“Ang profile kasi nitong victim is a manager of an offshore gaming company and then meron din siyang boss, ‘yun ‘yung may capability na magbibigay talaga,” he said.
“Maaaring pina-kidnap niya sa kaniyang mga kaibigan at hihingan ng pera ‘yung kaniyang boss. Kasi kikidnapin mo ‘yung biktima eh wala namang capability ‘yan para makapagbigay,” he added.
Zhou was taken by Chinese men on board a van along Paseo de Roxas in Makati City on Monday evening, December 9, 2019. (SunStar Philippines)