Kidnapped trader freed in Marawi City — police

A businessman abducted two weeks ago was freed in the southern Philippine city of Marawi on Wednesday morning, a local police official said. Abdulcarim Magarang was released at 2:30 a.m. after Muslim elders successfully negotiated for his freedom, Chief Superintendent Bienvenido Latag, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) regional police chief, said. Latag did not specify whether or not ransom money was paid for the victim’s freedom. Magarang was on his way home last August 31 when he was kidnapped by a group of armed men in Barangay Bubonga Lilod Madaya in Marawi City. The police reported last September 5 that Khalid Pansar, alleged leader of the group behind Magarang’s abduction, was killed in a firefight in Lanao del Sur province. The kidnap victim is already with his family in his home in Marawi City, according to Latag. - Andreo Calonzo/KBK, GMANews.TV