AUTHORITIES arrested on Thursday, October 15, 2020, a man in Malawi City who was suspected of murder in Saguiaran town, Lanao del Sur.
Michael Estanol was arrested in Barangay Matampa, after police served an arrest warrant issued against him by the 12th Judicial Region in Gingoog City in June 2019 for the crime of murder. No bail was recommended.
Major Ronaldo Lumactod, Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti Kidnapping Group (AKG) spokesperson, said on Friday, October 16, 2020, that Estanol was among the accused in the killing of Ibrahim Langco Salic on March 10, 2019 in Saguiaran, Lanao del Sur.
He went into hiding in Marawi. His alleged cohorts, identified as Zainal Wahab Oding and Naipondin Hosain, were killed in a police operation in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte on March 15, 2019.
“Their group was reportedly responsible for a series of kidnapping in the entire area of Lanao and Marawi area and nearby provinces. Primarily their targets were mostly local wealthy businessmen in Mindanao,” said Lumactod.
He said Estanol and his cohorts allegedly disguise themselves as construction workers. They were linked to a series of gun-for-hire and robbery extortions in Gingoog City, Marawi City and nearby municipalities. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines)