ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 30 October) – Three suspects in the alleged abduction of American content creator Elliot Onil Eastman are now in police custody, a Philippine National Police (PNP) official said Wednesday, October 30.
In a press briefing aired online, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said one of the three suspects sent surrender feelers last Sunday. They are now in the custody of the Police Regional Office -9 (PRO-9) in this city.
Eastman, 26, of Hinesborg, Vermont, USA, was allegedly kidnapped around 11 p.m. on October 17 in Sitio Tungawan, Barangay Poblacion in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte.
Fajardo said that three other suspects are being hunted by authorities, based on the information provided by the suspects in police custody.
She said the suspects will be charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
In a statement issued on October 19, the PRO-9 said that government forces have launched pursuit operations to rescue Eastman from his captors.
“We have already activated all available resources to address the situation. The Anti-Kidnapping Unit 9 and a team from PRO-9 and the Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Office are fully engaged in the case,” the statement said.
“We are coordinating fully with other law enforcement agencies, our AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) counterparts and local authorities to ensure the swift resolution of this case,” it added.
Agents from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation recently went to Sibuco and discuss the matter with Mayor Joel Ventura.
Ventura offered a P200,000 reward for the recovery of Eastman, who reportedly expressed concerns on his security before he was taken by at least four armed men who introduced themselves as “policemen.”
Brigadier General Bowenn Joey Masauding, PRO-9 director, said earlier the suspects could be members of the Abu Sayyaf Group.
Eastman is married to a woman identified as Karisha Jala, a resident of Sibuco. She has not issued a statement on the alleged kidnapping case. (Frencie Carreon / MindaNews)
