- The leader of a kidnapping group was killed in a shootout with policemen in Marawi City
- Three other kidnappers were wounded
- One of the suspects is an aunt of the 7-year-old kidnap victim
A composite team of police and military personnel killed the leader of a kidnapping group and arrested three of his cohorts including a relative of one of the kidnap victims shortly after they freed the victims on Friday, February 19 in Marawi City.
Killed was Jun Nasher Barao, the alleged leader of the kidnappers who abducted 7-year-old Josh Dy and his 15-year-old nanny Dianara Bojo. His three companions identified as Deleon S. Gumagadong, Michele Awitin Mercedez and Mante Sultan Maca-antal were wounded during the shootout with policemen and soldiers in Barangay Matampay in Marawi City at 7:20 p.m. Friday.
Michele Awitin Mercedez is allegedly an aunt of Josh Dy, as shared by Moh Saaduddin in his article for the Manila Times dated February 20, 2016.
In Richel Umel’s article for the Inquirer that was published on February 20, 2016, Umel wrote that a team of policemen from Cagayan de Oro, backed by military personnel, were closely monitoring the pay-off in Barangay Matampay in Marawi City.
After the pay-off and the release of the victims, the police team tailed the kidnappers who were aboard a Toyota Tamaraw FX with license plate number UJK 940, but the suspects sensed their presence and fired at them; wounding two police officers – Senior Inspector Ramsis Cartagena and Police Officer 3 Jeremy Rivera. The police returned fire; killing the kidnappers’ leader and wounding his three accomplices.
Authorities recovered the P500,000 paid by the boy’s family to the abductors, a caliber .45 pistol, a caliber .38 revolver, a hand grenade and four mobile phones.
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