Television footage of the rescue showed the 67-year-old, who is also known as Wong Kwan, looking thin and frightened as he sat on the floor of a bare room with his feet shackled.
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The chairman of Hong Kong Pearl Oriental Oil Group was found locked up in a hut clad only in his singlet and underpants late yesterday evening, China Post reports. Police said he suffered cuts, bruises and cigarette burns on his face and other parts of his body.
Twelve suspects were arrested and three of them were detained by the prosecutors.
After they rescued him, Wong reportedly told the police, “I didn’t expect to make it out alive”.
Wong was abducted September 20 near his home where he was living with Taiwanese wife in Xindian, New Taipei, according to the police.
Cai Wen-li, of the notorious United Bamboo Gang, and the man who allegedly coordinated action in Taiwan, and Cai Guang-zhong, who traveled between Taiwan and Hong Kong, used WeChat to communicate with the Hong Kong suspect.
The police launched a rescue campaign on the night of October 27 and successfully saved Wong in Yunlin County in western Taiwan – after obtaining crucial information from several suspects they caught on the same day.
Wong says that he plans to resume his role as chairman of the Hong Kong company immediately.
The kidnappers said the ransom should be remitted in the Internet currency of bitcoins, but later said the money should be delivered in Hong Kong.
He became embroiled in fraud and money-laundering lawsuits related to his investments in USA oil enterprises.
Cai received NT$5,000 (HK$1,187) for each trip to Hong Kong, and someone paid for his air tickets and accommodation, convincing Taiwan police that he had assistance here.
Two of the defendants in the case were found guilty in May and sentenced to prison terms of five years and seven years.
Pearl Oriental Oil’s main business is oil and gas exploration and the company is reported to be valued at 957 million HKD (£81,000,000).
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Hong Kong has a long history of kidnap targeting high-profile members of the business community. Its main asset is an oil field in Utah and it also runs a plastic recycling business, according to its website.
