Philippine authorities have identified eight suspected persons of interest linked to the abduction and murder of two business executives of Chinese origin in the northern Philippine province of Camarines Sur.

Philippine National Police, or PNP, Public Information Office chief Colonel Jean Fajardo said on Tuesday that the Anti-Kidnapping Group, which is in charge of the case, has eight names — including those who fetched the victims at the airport as these are the last people to see the victims alive.

Fajardo said the group is not yet under custody, while the Philippine News Agency says those involved are five foreigners and three Filipinos.

Fajardo also said the investigation is being conducted discreetly upon the request of the victims' families and the Chinese embassy in Manila, adding that they are also coordinating with their foreign counterparts to obtain more evidence.

According to initial investigations, the two victims, a Chinese national and a Chinese American, arrived in the Philippines on June 20 to meet with people for a possible business venture and an unknown group fetched the victims upon their arrival.

On June 21, the wife of one of the victims received demands for ransom asking for 5 million yuan ($688,000).The family negotiated with the kidnappers and agreed to send 3 million yuan. After sending the money, the families did not hear anything from the suspects again and two days later, a lawyer of one of the victims reported the matter to Chinese authorities. The Chinese embassy in Manila coordinated with the PNP.

Local residents found on June 24 two unidentified bodies wrapped in a blanket beside the cliff in a village in Camarines Sur. After positively identifying the bodies, the family members allowed the remains of the victims to be cremated at the local crematory.