ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / May 9, 2014) – An Indian national was seriously wounded after he was shot by two motorcycle gunmen in Zamboanga City in southern Philippine, police said.
Police said the 28-year old Sukhjinder Singh was driving his motorcycle when the gunmen, who were tailing the foreigner, attacked him in the village of Putik late Thursday.
Singh, who is engaged in money lending, just came from his cousin’s house and was heading home, when the attack occurred. Police said the Indian man was shot twice in the head and body with a .45-caliber pistol.
The gunmen escaped after the attack thinking that Singh had been killed. Police said the victim was rushed to hospital and that an investigation has been launched on Friday to determine the motive of the attack and the identities of the attackers.
Late last year, two Filipino muggers also attacked a 23-year old Indian trader, Harpreet, in Zamboanga City where he operates a small business. Harpreet, who buys and sells small appliances, lost his cell phone to the men who also tried to steal his motorcycle in the village of Tetuan.
A small group of Indian nationals engage in various businesses have been living in Zamboanga and some had married local residents to legitimize their stay in the country.
In October 2012, Philippine authorities detained 5 Indian nationals in Zamboanga City shortly after they arrived from Tawi-Tawi province. The 5 men travelled by boat from Sandakan in Malaysia to the neighboring Filipino province of Tawi-Tawi where they took a plane and flew to Zamboanga City on Mindanao Island.
Local authorities said the foreigners had no passports and other travel documents and only carried a fake temporary Philippine labor permit. (Mindanao Examiner)
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