ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/4 March) – Just three days after the release of a kidnapped nurse, three unidentified armed men struck anew, abducting a businesswoman right in front of her residence.
Senior Supt. Edwin de Ocampo, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director, said that Olivia Barredo was abducted 6:15 p.m. Thursday in Barangay Labuan, 36 kilometers west of this city.
Barredo’s family reportedly owns a pharmacy, hardware and a grocery in Barangay Labuan.
De Ocampo said the gunmen seized Barredo just after disembarking from the family-owned vehicle driven by her husband, Kenneth, upon arrival outside their home coming from the Labuan commercial center, about a kilometer away.
The gunmen reportedly shot Kenneth and the victim’s brother, Noel Angeles, when they tried to come to Olivia’s rescue but missed.
The gunmen dragged Barredo to the shoreline some 200 meters away, where their companions were waiting. They then forced Barredo to board a motorized banca that sped to the high seas.
De Ocampo said two people who were strangers in Labuan were invited for questioning by the responding policemen.
Barredo’s abduction came three days after Maricris Cuartocruz, a nurse, was freed by the kidnappers believed to be “lost command” rebels.
Cuartocruz, who was kidnapped last December 14, was freed Monday night in Barangay Timbang-Timbang, Alicia, Zamboanga Sibugay following payment of “goodwill money” to the kidnappers. (MindaNews)