A ransom amounting two million Philippine Peso (RM173,000) was allegedly set to secure the release of three Filipinos kidnapped by gunmen in Semporna waters off Sabah in Malaysia.
This was revealed by owner of the fishing trawler that was stormed by masked gunmen last Saturday. Karim Musappa, 30, claimed to have received a phone call from one of his kidnapped employees identified as Masurin at 7.55am on Monday this week.
“He told me they were safe and that their abductors had demanded two million Pesos to secure their release. “He (Masurin) said if the amount was not paid by Sept 19, the kidnappers had threatened to behead them,” he said when met at a fishermen gathering here.
Karim said he had immediately lodged a police report, adding he only received one phone call while Masurin’s wife allegedly received two calls since the abduction.
Yesterday, Sabah police commissioner Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun assured that kidnapped victims who were abducted in Sabah waters over the last few months were safe.
Rashid had also confirmed contact had been established with regard to the recent kidnapping and that police were validating the call.
Last Saturday, a group of masked men armed with pistols and M16 rifles stormed a fishing trawler with 16 people on board in waters off Semporna. In the 10.40pm incident, the gunmen kidnapped three crewmen who held refugee status documents (IMM13 documents) and census letters.
The latest incident occurred two months after five Malaysians on board a tugboat were abducted after kidnappers stormed their vessel on July 18. The tugboat was found abandoned in Dent Haven waters off Lahad Datu.
2014. New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad