The Philippine National Police (PNP) officially issued a warrant on April 30th, offering a reward of 5 million pesos for the capture of Wenli Gong, a Chinese national suspected of kidnapping and murdering Chinese businessman Guo Congyuan and his driver.
26-year-old Wenli Gong, who has also used aliases such as Kelly Tan Lim, Bao Wenli, Huang Yanling, and Axin, is considered the prime suspect in this heinous case. According to police investigations, she was responsible for luring the victims to a predetermined location and negotiating ransom with their families, playing a key role in the execution of the kidnapping and extortion.
The police reported that Gong had led Guo Congyuan to a residential area in Bulacan province for house arrest, and then demanded a ransom from his family with her accomplices. It is reported that the Guo family paid over 100 million pesos in ransom, but both Guo and his driver Armanie Pabillo were unfortunately killed, with their bodies discovered on April 9th in Rizal province.
Brigadier General Fahardo, spokesperson for the PNP, stated that the reward money was donated by private individuals to encourage the public to provide leads. He emphasized: "Wenli Gong is a central figure in the entire criminal organization, and we are fully committed to capturing her."
Currently, the Philippine police have arrested two Filipino suspects and received the surrender of a Chinese man, David Tan Liao. However, Wenli Gong and another fugitive Chinese man, Jonin Lim, are still at large.
More concerning is that the police suspect Gong has been involved in seven similar kidnapping cases in the past, including a 2022 incident in Pangasinan province where she lured a Chinese woman under the pretense of buying a house. She was arrested for this case but was released after posting a 300,000 pesos bail.
The investigation also revealed that the kidnapping involved up to 200 million pesos in cryptocurrency ransom, with some of the funds suspected to be laundered through VIP channels in casinos and the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO). The PNP is working with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to investigate the suspicious flow of funds.
During the investigation, the surrendered suspect David Tan Liao claimed that Alvin Que, the eldest son of Guo Congyuan, was the "mastermind" behind the scenes. However, the police have not found any other evidence to support this claim, nor have they considered him as a suspect. The police stated that they do not rule out the possibility that Liao made false statements to mislead the investigation or protect other accomplices.
The Guo family is actively cooperating with the police investigation, submitting relevant electronic devices and requesting through their lawyer to withdraw the false accusations against Alvin Que. Belmont, the lawyer for the Guo family, stated: "We support the police in uncovering the truth and appreciate their clarification that Alvin Que is not involved in the case."
According to police information, Guo Ansen and his driver went missing on March 29th, and ransom demands were received the next day. The ransom was paid in three installments, with the first 10 million pesos transferred on March 31st through a crypto account, followed by another 3 million pesos on April 2nd. Ultimately, the case ended with the murder of both individuals, and the police are still investigating the whereabouts of the remaining large ransom.
