Indian national kidnapped by suspected militants in southern Philippines

[News_Editor]

Indian national kidnapped by suspected militants in southern Philippines

2011-06-24 01:29:56 GMT+7 (ICT)

COTABATO CITY, PHILIPPINES (BNO NEWS) -- An Indian national was allegedly kidnapped by gunmen in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, police said on Thursday.

The Mindanao Examiner reported that on late Wednesday four gunmen seized 36-year-old Biju Kolara Veetil, who was only visiting the family of his Filipino wife. He was at his wife's house in the village of Tempok in Patikul town when the incident happened.



"We are still awaiting reports about the Indian national and who was behind the abduction," Chief Inspector Amil Baanan, the provincial deputy police chief for operations, told the regional newspaper.

"What we have learned is that the couple and their two children were only visiting the woman's family, but this thing happened," he added.

Police and the military sent several teams to track down the hostage in Sulu, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region. Since last month, this is the second case involving the kidnapping of a foreigner.

The motive of the abduction is still unknown, but previous kidnappings had been blamed by authorities to Abu Sayyaf militants whose group is tied to al-Qaida and Jemaah Islamiya. 
Abu Sayyaf is a band of self-styled Islamists who have been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines and high-profile kidnappings involving foreign hostages.




The government has repeatedly warned foreigners visiting Sulu to get in touch with authorities and get their police or military escorts.

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