Wednesday, May 14, 2008 Police found missing Briton By Bong Garcia
THE British businessman, who was reported missing by his business partner last week, was already found, a top police official said Tuesday.
Senior Superintendent Lurimer Detran, officer-in-charge of the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO), said David James Rowe was found in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, where the British national stayed.
San Carlos City Police, whom Detran coordinated for help, located Rowe two days after he was reported missing in Zamboanga City.
Fong Kwan Kong, a Chinese national and business partner of Rowe, reported at the ZCPO last Friday that the British national was missing.
Kong, an auto-machine parts businessman, told police that he and Rowe were supposed to meet on Thursday evening but the latter failed to show up. The British national was not located since then.
"Yes, he (Rowe) is now in Manila," Detran said in a text message on Tuesday. It was not known though what Rowe is doing in Manila.
Detran however said Kong have forwarded a complaint of estafa against Rowe on Monday at the City Prosecutor's Office (CPO).
Kong told the police that before the British businessman was gone missing, he entrusted the amount of P420,000 to Rowe to purchase auto-machine parts in Manila. Rowe allegedly failed to deliver the goods to him.
Detran said his office will formally inform the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to prevent Rowe from leaving the country without facing the complaint filed against him.
Detran earlier brushed aside speculations that Rowe might have been abducted by kidnap-for-ransom group or the Abu Sayyaf bandits.
"He (Rowe) was gone because of a transaction that went sour," Detran said.
