An elderly British man and his wife were abducted from their Philippine resort by at least four armed men, who dragged the couple into motorboats and took off, officials said.

The gunmen pulled Allan Hyrons, 70, and his wife Wilma Hyrons from a hut in their Tukuran resort at nightfall Friday, and loaded them into two boats, which fled in opposite directions, said Police Cpl. Jairus delos Reyes.

Several young men drinking at a nearby bar witnessed the kidnapping, police said.

Two of the suspects had checked into the coastal resort a day before the abduction, lying in wait for the couple, police spokesperson Maj Helen Galvez told The Guardian.

Allan has dual-citizenship and has lived in the Zamboanga del Sur province since 2013. He and his wife own several businesses in the area, including two schools and the resort.

“They own a lot of properties and business so they are always moving. The suspects waited for the victims to arrive at the resort,” Galvez said.

Local officials are looking at a “personal grudge” as a possible motive for the abduction, CNN Philippines reported.

A nearly $20,000 reward is being offered by local authorities for information about the couple’s whereabouts.