Kidnapped Basilan town vice mayor released

ZAMBOANGA CITY - The 20-year-old vice mayor of a town in Basilan province snatched by unidentified men in this city has been released, police said Thursday.

City police director Senior Superintendent Angelito Casimiro confirmed the release of Arsina Kahing Nanoh, 20, vice mayor of Hadji Mutamad town in Basilan who is engaged in the gold and jewelry business.

Casimiro admitted that the police was not immediately informed of the release of Nanoh.

The police Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) said the husband of the victim, Alnajil Nanoh, phoned to inform them that his wife is already with him and that they were taking the late Wednesday afternoon flight to Manila.

Alnajil was the one who reported to the police that unidentified gunmen kidnapped his wife in a shopping mall in the city on Tuesday afternoon. He even showed the police the text messages allegedly sent by the kidnappers, through his wife's cell phone.

It was reported that Nanoh was carrying P300,000 worth of jewelry and cash amounting to P50,000 when she was allegedly kidnapped.

Police investigators had said that based on the security camera footage retrieved from the mall, the victim was seen casually walking out of the mall with a group of men.