Kidnapped businessman released in Marawi
LINAMON, Lanao del Norte, Philippines—A Maranaw businessman abducted by unidentified armed men in Lanao del Sur on June 11 was freed by his captors Wednesday afternoon inside the Mindanao State University in Marawi City, Colonel Daniel Lucero, commander of the Army’s 103rd Brigade, told Inquirer Mindanao.
Lucero said Camal Tocal, a resident of Lumba Bayabao, Lanao del Sur, reunited with his family soon after his release.
He said based on information reaching the military, Tocal’s relatives negotiated with the kidnappers and agreed to pay an unspecified amount in ransom.
Lucero said the recent spate of kidnappings in the Lanao provinces has made authorities suspect that a big kidnap-for-ransom group, such as the Kuratong Baleleng, was involved, but the authorities were still trying to validate this.
