ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Gunmen snatched a businesswoman from her home in a west coast village in this city Thursday evening, police said.
Olivia Barredo, 36, had just alighted from a vehicle driven by her husband, Kenneth, in front of their residence in the village of Labuan when the gunmen attacked and seized her.
The kidnapping happened around 6:15 p.m. shortly after the couple arrived home from a commercial center in Labuan, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) Director Edwin de Ocampo said.
The gunmen shot Kenneth three times but missed when he tried to help his wife. The suspects also fired shots at Noel Angeles, the victim's brother, but still missed their target.
Barredo was dragged into a waiting motorboat located on the shoreline of Labuan village. Two more motorboats served as backup, police said.
De Ocampo said the gunmen sped towards the municipalities of Sibuco, Sirawai, Siocon and Baliguian in the province of Zamboanga del Norte.
Regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang said military gunboats have been deployed in these areas to track down the suspects.
De Ocampo said police authorities arrested two persons who served as lookouts but he declined to identify them, citing the ongoing investigation.
Barredo's abduction came days after kidnappers freed Maricris Cuartocruz, a volunteer nurse who was seized in this city last December 14 by so-called "lost command" rebels.
Gunmen killed Cuartocruz's 72-year-old grandfather when she was snatched in the village of Mercedes, 20 kilometers east of this city. She was held for 76 days until her release last Monday. (Bong Garcia/Sunnex)
