THREE persons have been detained and placed under investigation to determine whether they are fleeing members of the Maute Terror Group from Marawi City, the police reported Wednesday.
Police Regional Office-Zamboanga Peninsula (formerly Western Mindanao) Director Billy Beltran identified the individuals as Ismael Amado, 28; Khalid Amiludin, 21; and, Karim Manisan, 21 of Tungawan, R.T. Lim, and Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, respectively.
The three men were arrested around 2 p.m. Tuesday in the village of Palandok, Leon Postigo, Zamboanga del Norte.
They were arrested by joint police and military operatives following the reported presence of “unidentified suspicious looking persons” in the area.
He said they were detained after it was discovered the identification cards they presented were fake.
“Their TIN (Tax Identification Number) cards were believed to be fake to hide their real identity,” he said.
The police and military authorities have tightened security to monitor and arrest members of the Maute group fleeing from Marawi City, where fighting is ongoing as government troops continue to flush out the extremists.
On May 23, government troops raided the hideout of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and the terror group fought back and occupied several establishments in the city.
The Maute group members are providing protection to Hapilon, who pledged allegiance to the Isis. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)