Manila: A lower trial court in central Luzon issued warrants of arrest for Filipino cops and a private citizen on Friday who were indicted for the kidnapping and killing of a South Korean businessman last October 2016.

Senior police officers Ricky Sta. Isabel and Roy Villegas, private citizen Ramon Yalung and four others who were identified by their aliases, were ordered arrested for the kidnapping of South Korean Jee Ick Joo from his house in Friendship Plaza Subdivision, Angeles, Pampanga last October 18, 2016.

Officer Villegas has surrendered and sought witness protection from the PNP-Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG).

The police officers also took Jee’s housemaid Marissa Morquicho, claiming they were after suspected illegal drug traders.

The policemen, led by Sta. Isabel and his other companions, brought the two hostages to the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Metro Manila’s suburban Quezon City, officer Villegas said in an earlier sworn statement when he handed himself in.

Instead of extracting sworn statements from them, Sta. Isabel allegedly ordered his companions to cover Jee’s head with packaging tape, Villegas recounted, adding that Sta. Isabel strangled Jee and then ordered his companions to bring the dead body to a funeral parlour.

The policemen also released the housemaid, Villegas said.

In her sworn statement, the housemaid affirmed Villegas’ account of the incident.

The wife of victim Jee, Kyungjin Choi, said in her sworn statement that she delivered P5 million (Dh433,333) to a place that was specified by the kidnappers who called her and demanded a ransom payment of P8 million (Dh660,000).

Kyungjin said she did not deliver the balance of P3 million (Dh250,000) because the kidnappers could not show evidence that her husband was still alive. She sought help from PNP-AKG and later, filed a complaint at the justice department.

Sta. Isabel, Villegas, and another police officer Christopher Baldovino who also gave a statement that led to the indictment of the suspects, are attached to the PNP’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG).

The justice department has allowed Villegas and Baldovino to become state witnesses against Isabel and other suspects.

Both sought protection from the PNP-AKG while Sta. Isabel surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation.

The South Korean government has confirmed that Filipino policemen engaged in running after illegal drug traders were responsible for the killing of the South Korean businessman, but said he was never involved in illegal drug trade.

“We, the Korean government, express out strong regrets for this unfortunate incident,” the South Korean Embassy in Manila said in a statement.

Lawmakers called for a probe of the incident because it created doubt on the integrity of policemen tasked to run after illegal drug traders nationwide.

International and local rights groups have criticised President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-illegal drug trade campaign which has killed 6,000 since July. The police claimed responsibility for 2,000 fatalities and blamed drug syndicates for the death of 4.000 other suspects.