Police authorities have arrested two alleged members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) involved in the kidnapping of plantation workers 16 years ago in Basilan, an official announced Saturday.
The arrest of the suspects was part of the series of apprehensions the authorities made with the assistance of witnesses who were under the government’s Witness Protection and Security Benefit Program (WPSBP).
Chief Superintendent Billy Beltran, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) director, identified the suspects as Rabulat Balito and Issa Sampang alias Sonny Abubakar.
Beltran said Balito was arrested around 7:50 a.m. Friday in Barangay Recodo, this city while Sampang at around 7 a.m. Saturday in Barangay Mariki, also in this city.
Beltran said both Balito and Sampang had standing warrants of arrest for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of workers at the Golden Harvest Plantation in Barangay Tairan, Lantawan, Basilan province on June 11, 2001.
He said they were identified by the witnesses who were under the WPSBP of the Department of Justice.
Balito and Sampang are the sixth and seventh members of the ASG involved in the kidnapping of plantation workers arrested by the authorities this year in this city.
The five others were: Mudrim Isnani; Emran Ismael; Bryan Mohammad; Puyat Saiyadi, and, Faizal Sariul, 35. The Abu Sayyaf bandits have seized 15 workers when they raided the Golden Harvest Plantation on June 11, 2001.
They had executed them by beheading some of the hostages while the others had either escaped or were rescued by pursuing military forces.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1023167
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