Four suspected members of a kidnapping gang were killed Thursday dawn in a shoot-out with policemen at a checkpoint in Metro Manila, the police said.
Three of the suspects died on the spot, the fourth died while undergoing treatment at a hospital, said Local chief Senior Superintendent Federico Laciste.
Laciste said that two of the suspects got off from their Nissan Sentra car near the checkpoint in Paranaque City while the other two staying inside drove through the checkpoint, triggering off the shootout.
The gang, led by an Eric Bugtol, was believed behind the recent kidnapping of a local businessman Gerald Lao Tiu in Quezon City, also in Metro Manila. The businessman was rescued by police on Wednesday.
Policemen found some personal belongings of Tiu, including ATM cards and credit cards, in the gang's car.