KOTA KINABALU: Security forces have captured one of the five Muktadir brothers who are notorious for cross-border kidnappings in Sabah over the past year.
Police intensified their hunt for the brothers about two months ago and increased their surveillance of boats coming in from the southern Philippines.
Their hard work paid off early this week when police spotted a vessel trying to sneak into Semporna from Sitangkai Island in the Philippines, said a source.
Details remain sketchy at the moment but the boat was intercepted during a dusk to dawn sea curfew and all onboard were arrested.
As the foreigners were being taken into custody, one of the brothers named Nikson, was identified.
Married, with one child, Nikson used to live with his family at the Bangau Bangau water village in Semporna. He is an expert boatman who knows the waters off Semporna well and has worked at some of the nearby island resorts.
His brother, Badong @ Adzmil, is allegedly the mastermind of the kidnapping gang.
Nikson reportedly provides the muscle and is a purveyor of high-powered boats that the gang uses for the kidnappings.
His other kin are Gadafi, Murphy Ambang Ladia @ Gulam and Ali aka Braun.
The brothers, whose late father was a notorious pirate, are believed to have more than 40 men in their gang.
Police said the Muktadirs were responsible for almost all the kidnappings in the east coast of Sabah since November last year.
The brothers were directly involved in the April 2 kidnapping of Chinese tourist Gao Huayun and Filipina worker Marcy Darawan from the Singamata Reef Resort in Semporna.
They were linked to the killing of marine policeman Kpl Abdul Rajah Jamuan, 32, and the kidnapping of another policeman, Kons Zakiah Aleip, 26, at Pulau Mabul on July 12.
Zakiah and fish farm operator Chan Sai Chuin, 32, who was abducted in Kunak on June 16, are still being held by an Abu Sayyaf terror group led by Al-Habsi Misaya in Jolo, the Philippines.
The brothers kidnap victims from Sabah and sell them to the Abu Sayyaf groups, which in turn demand millions of ringgit in ransom.
Although police have Nikson in custody, he and the others in the boat have been classified as illegal immigrants.
Sabah Police Commissioner Deputy Comm Datuk Jalaluddin Abd Rahman declined to comment when contacted.
KOTA KINABALU: Police are 95% certain that they have in their hands Nikson Muktadir, one of the key leaders of the cross border kidnap for ransom (KFR) group.
In commenting on The Star’s exclusive report, Sabah Police Comissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman (pic) said on Saturday that Nikson’s arrest was crucial in crippling the notorious Muktadir brothers gang.
“We arrested a man who was among eight adults and children in a boat off Pulau Bohayan, Semporna at about 5.30pm on Nov 30.
“We are still trying to confirm his real identity but we are 95% certain that it’s him,” he told the media after attending a passing out parade for constables at the Sabah police headquarters here.
Jalaluddin said Nikson was among those involved in the attack on Mabul island resort on July 12 when Marine Police Kpl Abdul Rajah Jamuan, 32, was shot dead and his colleague Konst Zakiah Aleip, 26, was kidnapped.
He said another key figure linked to the Muktadir group was arrested and later shot dead at Tawi Tawi in southern Philippines in late August.
Apok Kahumbo @ Mubin Halil, 42, who was known as the Abu Sayyaf group intelligence gatherer tasked with identifying possible kidnap targets was shot dead while leaving a court house in Tawi Tawi’s provincial capital of Bongao on Aug 29.
Jalaluddin also announced the extension of the dusk to dawn curfew along the Sabah’s east coast for another two weeks until Dec 24.
He said the ongoing curfew from 7pm to 5am was necessary as Malaysian security forces’ intelligence network showed that the cross border gangs were still planning kidnappings.
“These groups are mobile and have been moving at ease between Sabah and southern Philippines.
“There is no doubt about the effectiveness about the curfew,” Jalaluddin said in explaining that the security situation in Sabah’s east coast was under control.
