DIPOLOG CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 13, 2013) – Masked gunmen abducted a village chieftain in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Norte and police said it mounted an operation to track down the assailants and rescue the official.
Officials said at least 3 gunmen barged in the house of Cecilia Alas-as, village chieftain of Paniran in Sibuco town, and dragged her to the shores where a motorboat was waiting.
Police forces tried to chase the gunmen, but failed to catch up with them. The motive of the abduction is still unknown.
“Policemen responded immediately and conducted seaborne patrol along the sea water of Sibuco for possible interception of the suspects for the rescue of the victim. Sibuco Municipal Police Station is conducting thorough investigation to determine the identities of the suspects and the whereabouts of the victim,” said Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the abduction. (Mindanao Examiner)
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