Police arrest 4 kidnap gang members in Sultan Kudarat

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 8): Police arrest 4 kidnap gang members in Sultan Kudarat

Acting on tips from villagers here, policemen on Wednesday morning arrested four suspected kidnap-for-ransom gang members operating in Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato. Sr. Supt. Rolen Balquin, Sultan Kudarat police chief, said the police flagged down a vehicle with four heavily armed men at a checkpoint in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat. "They were to proceed to Tacurong City to allegedly carry out the planned kidnapping,” according to Senior Supt. Rolen Balquin, Sultan Kudarat police chief. Arrested were Kaharudin Odin, Jimmy Abbas, Benjar Salik, and Ismael Lantenge, all residents of nearby Maguindanao. Balquin said the suspects were on their way to Tacurong City on board a Blue Tamaraw FX with license plates UKB 849. Balquin said, the four revealed that they were to proceed to Tacurong City to meet their contacts for the planned kidnapping. The suspects yielded two fragmentation grenades, a .357 Magnum revolver and a shotgun. The four did not resist arrest but could not explain why they are armed. Balquin said the suspects are also being questioned on their possible involvement in Wednesday’s grenade attack in Esperanza, also in Sultan Kudarat province that left four people injured.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=469661