Four suspected kidnap-for-ransom (KFR) group members were killed, while a police officer was wounded, during a rescue operation by the Philippine National Police-Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG) that freed a 78-year-old businessman in Parañaque City.

In a press briefing at Camp Crame, PNP spokesperson Randulf Tuaño said the victim, identified as Dave Daryani, a Filipino-Indian businessman, was safely rescued following an armed encounter on the evening of 15 April.

Authorities said the victim was abducted at around 5:30 p.m. on 14 April after leaving his office in Parañaque and heading home to Makati City.

According to police, the suspects later contacted the victim’s family using his cellphone and initially demanded ₱50 million in ransom. The incident was reported to the PNP-AKG, which launched an operation.

Negotiations continued on 15 April, with the ransom demand reportedly reduced to ₱10 million. After the payoff was made, police operatives carried out a rescue operation at around 7:52 p.m.

The suspects, who were aboard a sports utility vehicle, engaged responding officers in a firefight. All four sustained gunshot wounds and were declared dead on arrival at a hospital.

PNP-AKG chief Glicerio Cansilao said two of the slain suspects were former police officers who had been dismissed from service. An identification card from the National Bureau of Investigation was also recovered from one of the suspects.

Authorities are also investigating an abandoned vehicle believed to be linked to the kidnapping, which may have been used during the abduction or ransom exchange.

A police operative was wounded in the encounter and is currently receiving treatment.

PNP chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the operation prioritized the victim’s safety.

“The primary objective of the operation was the safe recovery of the victim, which was successfully achieved through measured and appropriate police response,” he said.

Meanwhile, National Police Commission Commissioner Rafael Vicente R. Calinisan commended the operatives involved in the rescue.

“This operation reflects the kind of policing we expect: swift, intelligence-driven, and focused on preserving life above all,” Calinisan said.