ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 18 Feb) – Seven people, including a five-year-old child, were killed while another one was wounded in two separate incidents Monday in the nearby province of Basilan, police officials disclosed Tuesday.
Police said four of the fatalities were killed in an ambush in the municipality of Tipo-Tipo while the remaining three were killed in a robbery in the town of Lantawan.
Killed in the ambush were Hussing Piskalin, Wahid Piskalin and Kasayun Piskalin; the fourth one is still unidentified.
Another companion who is also unidentified was wounded during the ambush, according to SPO1 Ben Naser Saha, the case investigator.
Saha said the victims, who belong to the Mongong group, were on the way home aboard motorcycles coming from a fishing venture when a group of unidentified gunmen ambushed them around 3:15 p.m. in Barangay Bohelebbung.
Killed in the robbery noon Monday in Barangay Switch Yakal, Lantawan municipality were Pablo Guerrero, his wife Teresa, and granddaughter Trixie, who was only five years old.
Chief Insp. Basiri Hassan, Lantawan police chief, said the Guerreros were inside their farmhouse when killed by suspects, who appeared to be known to the victims.
Hassan said the suspects clubbed the victims to death and robbed them of their valuables and fled.
The victims were visiting their farm and had just arrived in Lantawan, Basilan, from this city. They were from Barangay Boalan here.
Meanwhile, Hassan said they have launched manhunt operation after the suspects’ identities had been established.