Zambo police track down whereabouts of abducted Basilan town vice mayor

ZAMBOANGA CITY, March 5 (PNA) -- Authorities are continuously exerting efforts in a bid to track down the whereabouts of a Basilan town vice-mayor abducted by unidentified persons at a shopping mall in this city.

Arsina Nanoh, 20, the vice-mayor of Hadji Muhtamad, Basilan province, was abducted by unidentified persons shortly after noon time Tuesday at a shopping mall along La Purisima Street in downtown Zamboanga City.

Police Station 11 commander Supt. Diomarie Albarico said they were informed by the victim’s husband, Alnajil, the suspects have allowed his wife to call them around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Albarico said the suspects have only allowed the lady vice mayor to tell how she was abducted unnoticed by the customers and security guards of the shopping mall.

Albarico said the lady vice mayor did not also tell her family as to her whereabouts and what the suspects wanted in exchange for her safe release.

“According to the husband, the vice mayor only related to them how she was seized by the suspects,” Albarico said.

He said the vice mayor has told her family that she was brought out of the shopping mall unnoticed and without any commotion and was made to board on a white van along La Purisima street that sped to unknown direction.

Police investigation showed that prior to the abduction, the Nanoh couple together with some friends went to the shopping mall around 12:15 p.m.

The group left the shopping mall around 12:57 p.m. but the vice mayor told her husband that she received a call from a friend asking her to return to the mall while they were already at the exit gate aboard their vehicle.

The vice mayor alighted from the vehicle and told her husband to just wait for her call to pick her up from the shopping mall.

Alnajil left and later on received a text message from the suspects using his wife’s cellular phone that they have abducted his wife.

Alnajil went back to the shopping mall but failed to locate his wife which prompted him to report the incident to the police.

Albarico said that investigation continues ina bid to establish the identities of the suspects. (PNA)
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