Armed men kidnap two kitchen utensil vendors in Jolo, Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—As authorities struggled in recovering naturalized American Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann and her son, Kevin from their captors, armed men struck anew—this time in Jolo—and abducted two persons.

Superintendent John Morales, the Sulu deputy police chief, said the armed men actually took three people from a boarding house but one of the victims got away in the ensuing confusion caused by a kidnapper who accidentally fired his gun during their getaway.

Morales said the kidnappers stormed a boarding house in Barangay Walled City around 8 p.m. Wednesday and at gunpoint, dragged away Jose Batronel, 57, of Batangas; Rose Villadore, 37, of Agusan del Norte; and Julie Latorrem 21, of Batangas.

He said the suspects fled with the three victims on board a Tamaraw jeepney.

Morales said that at this point, one of kidnappers accidentally fired his gun, causing a commotion.

“One of the kidnappers accidentally fired his gun while dragging the victims, prompting Latorre to take advantage of the situation, jump off the vehicle and run towards the police station,” he said.

Morales said the Jolo police immediately dispatched a team to the area but failed to catch up with the kidnappers.

Morales said Latorre has been under police custody.

“We are still trying to determine who are the captors and we want to determine if there’s another motive for the abduction,” he said.

Chief Superintendent Felicisimo Khu, head of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Western Mindanao (DIPO-WM), said the victims were ambulant vendors of kitchen utensils.

He said that based on police investigation, there were six kidnappers and they were armed with high-power firearms.

He said authorities had no identities of the kidnappers yet.

Sulu is a noted lair of the self-styled Islamist group the Abu Sayyaf, which has become notorious for its kidnapping.

On June 22, Indian Biju Kolara Veettil was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf members—led by Jurim Husin—from the house of his in-laws in Patikul town.

Hussin’s group, Khu said, was the same group that snatched Filipino Chinese businessman Nelson Lim from Jolo on April 29. The Abu Sayyaf has demanded P5 million for his release, he said.

On May 8, armed men also abducted Malaysian gecko trader Mohammad Nasauddin Bin Saidin from Indanan town and were asking P8 million for his liberty.

The Abu Sayyaf is also suspected of holding as captives Renato Panisales and Winnie Ferrer.

The victims were among three people the Abu Sayyaf took when they hijacked a fishing vessel owned by Mega Corp. off Patikul town.

The third victim, Jonald Ocsimar was freed after his family paid P300,000 in board and lodging fees to the captors, Khu said.

Meanwhile, authorities said they were still concentrating on Basilan as the most possible hideaway of the group that snatched the Lunsmans from Tictabon Island, off this city.