Six individuals have been charged with kidnapping a group of cockfighting-related individuals in the Philippines.

The party of six is believed to have been kidnapped in January on their way to a fight in the capital city of Manila.

It is part of a spate of unexplained disappearances in the industry, a popular betting sport.

After the Covid pandemic, the government’s coffers were bolstered by taxes on cockfights broadcast via Livestream.

In the end, though, former President Rodrigo Duterte outlawed online battles while resuming traditional cockfighting.

According to reports, the six accused deny the claims.

According to the AFP news agency, three former police officers have also been charged with kidnapping a cockfighting aficionado from his home in August 2021.

AFP reported that the victim was suspected of operating a fraudulent betting website.

At least 27 people associated with the lucrative industry remain missing, but the likelihood of recovering them alive is diminishing.

This week, Justice Secretary Jesus Remulla stated, “I wouldn’t even call them missing cockfighters; they’re dead cockfighters.”

In the Philippines, cockfighting generally draws big crowds who wager large sums on which rooster would prevail in a fight to the death. Sharp metal spurs are attached to the legs of the birds.

The sport is prohibited in many other nations, but it has become increasingly popular in the Philippines in recent years as a result of Covid regulations that have forced it online.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte had resisted calls to ban “e-sabong,” the online version of the sport, despite reports of addiction and violence, despite admitting that monthly taxes of approximately 640 million pesos ($11.5m; £9.6m) had helped to replenish the government’s finances in the wake of the pandemic.

Shortly before leaving office in June, he eventually outlawed live-streamed fights. Traditional cockfighting is now again permitted.