ZAMBOANGA CITY , Philippines – Authorities arrested one of the three suspects in last week’s kidnapping of a barangay leader in Sibuco town in Zamboanga del Norte.
The arrest of Jasser Mahamud-Siddik led to the identification of his two other alleged companions – Yusop Maliki and a certain Jumrani – who were tagged in the kidnapping of barangay captain Cecilia Alas-as in Barangay Paniran last Thursday.
Siddik was positively identified by the victim’s son as one of the gunmen that barged into their house and took his father, according to Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, spokesman for the Police Regional Office 9.
Police and military forces launched a manhunt for the two other suspects in a bid to rescue Alas-as. The local police of Sibuco is preparing to file charges against the suspects, Huesca said.
Meanwhile, the family of a businesswoman snatched in Ipil town, Zamboanga Sibugay were trying to establish contact with the kidnappers, according to Chief Superintendent Roy Bahian, provincial police commander.
Authorities expressed belief money was the motive for the kidnapping of Cynthia Caboverde, 48.