ZAMBOANGA CITY – Four gunmen raided a seaside restaurant popular in Sandakan in Malaysia’s eastern state of Sabah and abducted its manager and a customer, according to The Star.
The Malaysian news site reported that gunmen stormed Ocean King Seafood Restaurant late Thursday and seized the manager – Thien Nyuk Fun, 50, and the customer, Bernard Ghen Ted Fen, 39, who is believed to be from Sarawak. “They fled in a boat. They wore no mask and there was no shooting,” said Chung Yan Tsim, the restaurant owner.
Chung said the manager is his sister-in-law. He said the customer was sitting with his family but could not run away when the gunmen barged into the restaurant in Jalan Batu Sapi. The raid lasted less than a minute.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the abduction, but The Star also reported that two siblings Nilson Muktadil, who is his 30s; and Badong, alias Adzmil Muktadil, in his 40s, were believed behind the latest abduction.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said: “Four kidnappers went to the restaurant using two M16 rifles and a pistol. We could not get the boat description. Early intelligence believes that the Muktadil Brother are behind this.”
The Star reported that the Muktadil brothers – who are natives of Southern Philippines – were born to a life of violent crime, specializing in cross-border kidnapping. The brothers were part of the southern Philippines’ Tawi-Tawi island-based kidnap-for-ransom group.
Nilson had lived in Kampung Bangau-Bangau and was believed to be involved in the April 2 kidnapping of Chinese tourist Gao Huayun, 29, and Filipino worker Marcy Dayawan, 40. Together with his brother, they are believed to have over 40 men for their kidnap-for-ransom activities and four boats equipped with 40 and 70 horsepower outboard engines.
The Star reported that a massive operation is underway to hunt the gang.
Eastern Sabah Security Command commander Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun when contacted said they were at the scene and taking necessary action. He declined to say anything further, The Star reported.
It said Sabah police also have been hunting for 7 gunmen spotted at a plantation in Kinabatangan about 100kms from Sandakan earlier this month.
They were also investigating a robbery at a lobster farm at Pulau Bait in Semporna where gunmen robbed workers of an outboard, among other valuables, but failed to get the owner of the lobster farm.
Philippine authorities have not commented on the reported abductions, but Sabah is just near the Filipino province of Tawi-Tawi. (Mindanao Examiner)
Like Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindanaoexaminer
Follow Us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MindanaoExamine
Read Our News on: http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/ and http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/
Share The News
20
