Mafia thriller in Manila

Salzburg woman fears for her kidnapped brother

The 45-year-old landed at Ninoy Aquino Airport in Manila on January 18. He has been missing since receiving a call demanding a ransom.(Bild: Mdv Edwards - stock.adobe.com)

An Austrian (45) has been missing in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, since January. His sister fears the worst. Her lawyer warns of a mafia-like gang that lures people with Chinese roots to Asia to extort ransom money.

The sister of the alleged victim - an Austrian woman with Chinese roots living in Salzburg - desperately turned to lawyer Stefan Rieder: Because she fears for her brother's life. The Austrian, who lived in Düsseldorf, Germany, has been missing since January 18. The suspicion is that he has been abducted and possibly killed. "The uncertainty about her brother's whereabouts is wearing on her," says Rieder.