8 alleged members of ‘Warla’ kidnapping group arrested –CIDG

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on Tuesday said eight alleged members of the "Warla" kidnapping group that lured foreigners with dates with women were arrested.

“The kidnapping group composed of particularly transwomen and their partners or we call them as the Warla criminal group. They have gained notoriety for posing as beautiful women before kidnapping their targets as soon as they agreed to meet them on a date,” CIDG chief Police Brigadier General Ronald Lee said in a press conference.

Lee added the group had been victimizing foreign nationals, particularly Asian nationals, since 2018. Some of the victims were POGO employees, though some were businessmen.

One of the Warla kidnapping group's victims was identified as Taiwanese national Michael Lee, who was abducted in Parañaque on September 3 and was rescued by authorities on September 7.

According to the CIDG, the suspects demanded a sum of money from Michael Lee’s friends in exchange for his freedom. The victim’s friends were able to send P308,000 to five different mobile wallet accounts.

The police tracked the payment transactions and located the suspects, three of whom - Dewie Shaine Collado Garcia, Charlemagne Olunan Vargas, and Christian Paredes - surrendered to authorities.

Meanwhile, the five other suspects - Jun Francis Pavillar Villa, Lawrenz Descartin Lingo, Jhonas Grimpula Belonio, Bernard Ty Torres, and Mark Joseph Dagame Pelonio - were arrested in entrapment operations involving illegal weapons.

The Warla kidnapping group was formed in 2018. Nine of its identified members are transgender women, according to the CIDG. It was led by a certain Mikey Ebol or Mike Collado Ebol, the police said.

Warla operates in the southern part of Metro Manila.

So far, the CIDG said the group already victimized around 14 victims and was able to collect P4.2 million in ransom money.

The CIDG said the arrested suspects told them that they would use the money for their sex reassignment surgery in Thailand.

Manhunt operations are still ongoing to capture Ebol and other Warla members identified as Lexi Villanueva, Jaine Martinez, Hector Magallanes or “Yanyan”, Erwin Flores or “Marga”, and Mathew San Diego, the CIDG said.

All arrested persons will face complaints of kidnapping and violations of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Law. — DVM, GMA News