Cabanatuan city: Police rescued a businessman within 10 hours after he was abducted in Nueva Ecija Monday, foiling a PHP-5 million ransom demand and arresting three suspects. In a report Tuesday, the Police Regional Office-Central Luzon (PRO-3) said the 59-year-old victim was taken from his warehouse in Cabanatuan City around 7:52 a.m.

According to Philippines News Agency, a coordinated police operation located the victim in Barangay Bakod Bayan, also in Cabanatuan City, the same day. A 49-year-old former police officer, identified as the alleged mastermind and a cousin of the victim, was arrested in San Miguel, Bulacan at 5:52 p.m. Two other suspects were arrested in follow-up operations in Cabanatuan and Palayan cities, the PRO-3 said.

The suspects, who took his pickup truck, also got involved in a hit-and-run that injured two civilians. 'This successful rescue and the foiling of a ransom demand highlight the effectiveness of intelligence-led operations and sustained pursuit. Our personnel acted decisively to ensure the victim's safety while upholding the rule of law,' PRO-3 Director Brig. Gen. Ponce Rogelio Pe±ones Jr. said.