Kidnapped Chinese Woman Escapes After Being Locked In Dog Cage For 20 Days

A Chinese woman who was allegedly kidnapped for a ransom of $2 million and locked inside a dog cage for 20 days in Batangas, Philippines, escaped from her captors earlier this month, according to local police.

Batangas police found the 28-year-old victim, who is a native of Shanghai, China, in a convenience store in the village of Alangilan on Oct. 6 after she escaped, according to a news release from the Philippine National Police.

The woman, whose identity was not revealed for security, was rescued and brought to the police station after allegedly being detained in a house in the same village for nearly three weeks. It is unclear how the victim escaped her abductors.

Authorities were able to pinpoint the exact location where the victim was held by her kidnappers in Alangilan, according to the news release.

Law enforcement officials raided the house where the woman was held, but the suspects had already fled, Yahoo News reported.

Authorities discovered the dog cage where the woman was kept hostage. Photos released by police and shared by Yahoo News showed pillows and a red bucket inside the cramped cage.

The victim was allegedly kidnapped on Sept. 17 while she was out with a friend at a club in the red light district of Angeles City, Pampanga, which is around 200 kilometers (124 miles) from where she was rescued.

Police confirmed that an abduction had been reported in the same city that day.

The woman’s Chinese boyfriend, who reported her missing, told investigators he received on Sept. 18 a video from an unknown number on his phone that allegedly showed his girlfriend being battered by a baseball bat, Philippine News Agency reported.

The unidentified boyfriend also said the abductors allegedly called him and demanded $2 million (PHP116 million) in ransom for the woman’s freedom at the time, according to PNA.

He told authorities that his girlfriend was allegedly abducted by two Chinese nationals and a Filipino driver, who drove a white Toyota Fortuner at the time of the kidnapping, according to Yahoo News.

No suspect has been identified and arrested as of this writing.

Brig. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., chief of the regional police district, said in a statement obtained by Manila Bulletin: “I commend the operatives of Batangas City police for saving the victim. Your timely response foiled yet another kidnapping incident involving Chinese nationals. Such atrocities should not proliferate in our region. We should strengthen our intelligence efforts and maintain police presence in the streets as deterrent to possible kidnapping and other crimes.”

He ordered police units to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident and identify the perpetrators.

“I want immediate progress in this case and also I want these kidnappers to be arrested. We cannot tolerate these criminals who victimized innocent civilians for their own gain,” Nartatez added.