KOTA KINABALU, June 16 — Sabah police do not have verification that four Malaysians were abducted by Filipino militants today as alleged by Philippine news sites.
When contacted for comment, Sabah police commissioner Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun said that he was not aware of the reports or any fresh abductions, but will try to verify the information.
“Not yet,” he told Malay Mail Online briefly.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said on Twitter that Malaysian authorities could not verify the reports and were awaiting confirmation from their Filipino counterparts.
Earlier, the ABS CBN quoted Tawi-Tawi police director S/Supt. Joselito Salido as saying they were looking into reports that four Malaysians were abducted off the coast of Malaysia and allegedly brought to Sitankai in Tawi Tawi before being transferred to Sulu, early today.
The news comes barely a week after four Malaysians were released by Abu Sayyaf militants, allegedly for a ransom that local authorities deny paying.
The east coast of Sabah and surrounding Philippines are known haunts of Abu Sayyaf who are involved in kidnap for ransom activities.
