ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/29 January) – Government authorities have arrested one of the eight suspected kidnappers who seized last Tuesday evening an education official in Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur, a police official announced.
Chief Insp. Ariel Huesca, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) information officer, identified the arrested suspect as Ryan Tumales, 22, a resident of Lumbia, Siayan, Zamboanga del Norte.
Huesca said the suspect was arrested in Barangay Picanan, Kumalarang town by the group of Councilman Virgilio Acunam shortly before midnight Tuesday, barely two hours after they seized Rudy Luna.
Luna, the supervisor of Bayog District School in the municipality of Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur, was seized together with his wife, Tessie, by eight gunmen who barged into their residence in Barangay Diplo, Kumalarang town.
Tessie is the supervisor of Kumalarang Central Elementary School.
The victims were brought aboard their own vehicle to the shore of Sitio Dacun, Barangay Picanan, where the suspects docked their three motorized bancas.
Fortunately, Tessie was able to escape while the suspects were dragging them to board on one of the three motorized bancas.
Huesca said that Tessie has positively identified Tumales as one of the gunmen who barged into their residence on Tuesday night.
Huesca said efforts continue in a bid to establish the whereabouts of the victim.