Police have launched an investigation into an alleged abduction in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City, after a closed-circuit television (CCTV) video of the incident spread on social media and drew public attention online. The video, posted Sunday night, May 24, 2026, carried the caption “Kidnapping Alert in Cebu.” Authorities said the incident took place around 2 a.m. on May 11 at the parking area of Miranza Center in Banilad.
Footage showed a white sports utility vehicle parked in the area with two men talking outside. One of the men, described as heavily built and wearing a cap, was using his cellphone when a gray car parked near the guardhouse backed toward them as a white van arrived. Mabolo Police Station Chief Maj. Eric Gingoyon said investigators are determining whether the incident qualifies as a kidnapping case.
CCTV Footage Reviewed
Several men, estimated at five to eight individuals, got out of the vehicles and forced two men, including one identified as Glen, into the white van. The van and the gray Toyota Vios with plate number GAQ 8686 then left the area, while another man drove away the white SUV. Gingoyon said Glen was later brought to a secluded area in the City of Naga around 5:30 a.m. on May 11 and was abandoned there while blindfolded. Police said Glen went to the local police station after the incident but did not file a blotter report. He instead contacted his wife to fetch him.
Person of Interest Identified
During the investigation, Glen claimed the man he had been speaking with before the abduction, who was also seen being forced into the van, was the alleged mastermind behind the incident. Police identified the man as a person of interest after Glen questioned why he alone was brought to Naga while the other man remained in Cebu City. Investigators said both Glen and the person of interest were involved in the buy-and-sell of second-hand vehicles. Police said the investigation showed that three months earlier, the person of interest allegedly approached Glen to pawn two vehicles — a Nissan Terra and a Toyota Innova — for P1.8 million.
Financial Dispute Probed
Glen then sought a financier willing to accept the vehicles as collateral with a monthly interest payment of P50,000. Authorities said Glen found a financier and released the requested amount to the person of interest. When the vehicles were supposed to be redeemed, the person of interest allegedly asked Glen to find another financier because he intended to pawn the vehicles again to settle the earlier obligation. Police said Glen agreed but demanded P150,000 in accumulated interest covering three months. Investigators said the alleged abduction happened while the P150,000 payment was about to be transferred through a bank transaction.
Links to Carnapping Schemes
Gingoyon said they are also looking into the possibility that the person of interest and the abductors know each other and may belong to a larger group involved in illegal vehicle transactions. Police are also checking possible links to “rent-tangay” and “rent-sangla” carnapping schemes in coordination with the Highway Patrol Group in Central Visayas. Glen and his wife later went to the Mabolo Police Station to file complaints against those allegedly involved in the incident. Mabolo police said the case appeared isolated and was not linked to organized kidnapping groups targeting victims in Cebu City.
