-
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/13 March) – Gunmen believed to be members of a kidnap-for-ransom-group seized a son of a barangay official in the nearby province of Zamboanga Sibugay, a police official disclosed Tuesday.
Zamboanga Sibugay police director Senior Supt. Ruben Cariaga said the incident took place around 10 p.m. Sunday in Sitio Palid, Barangay Magdaup, Ipil town, the provincial capital.
Cariaga identified the victim as Meljohn Auditor, 20, the son of Magdaup Barangay Kagawad Gabriel Auditor.
The police official however said the incident was only reported to them around 7 a.m. Monday since the Auditor family wanted to keep the incident secret.
“They also refused to provide information to the authorities,” he added.
The victim was with their workers attending to their fish trap two kilometers off Magdaup when seized by six unidentified gunmen aboard a small watercraft, he said.
Cariaga said the Auditor family had received death threats from unidentified persons prior to Sunday’s abduction.
He said the family had also received extortion letters weeks before the incident.
No one has claimed responsibility for the incident, he said. (MindaNews)