Kidnap for Ransom: Uncertainty for families of 2 victims as deadline looms

Families of two men kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf terrorists hope their loved ones will return home soon despite the uncertainty over the payment of the multi-million ringgit ransom demanded for their release.

The Star quoted marine police Constable Zakiah Aleip's wife Sharifah Erna Berson as saying that she believed her husband was "safe" but was being guarded by gunmen.

“I pray, I hope, I cry. I just hope Zakiah will come back safely to us,” the 23-year-old mother of an 8-month-old boy said.

Zakiah, 26, was kidnapped from Mabul Water Bungalows Resort in Semporna on July 12 by eight Filipino gunmen while his colleague, Corporal Abdul Rajah Jamuan, 32, was shot dead by gunmen in that incident.

Since the incident, Sharifah Erna has been living with her husband's family in Tuaran.

“There is not much news from my husband these days. They (the abductors) usually contact the police,” she said in the report.

“I don’t know when he will be released. I just hope it will be soon. Our prayers for his safe return continue every day. Our son is growing fast... he is learning to walk. I wish his father was here to watch him grow."

It was previously reported that the kidnappers were demanding RM2.9 million in ransom for Zakiah's safe release and have threatened to execute the marine cop if the money is not paid by November 30.

Bukit Aman Public Order and Internal Security director Datuk Mohammad Fuad Abu Zarim had said before that authorites were trying to negotiate the ransom.

"The highest demand was RM10 million. We are trying to negotiate further," he had said last month. "Hopefully, they will release him without having to pay any ransom."

Meanwhile, the wife of Kunak fish farm manager Chan Sai Chiun told The Star that she was getting increasingly anxious as the deadline to pay the ransom approaches.

Chan, and a Filipino worker identified only as Maslan, were abducted by two armed men at 12.40am from the fish farm they operated in Kampung Air Sapang on June 16.

Abu Sayyaf gunmen, based in southern Philippines have demanded RM3 million and have given the family until the end of the month to pay up or else they would receive Chan's head.

The family of the 32-year-old victim has been unable to raise the sum needed and his wife Chin Pek Nyuen, 42, was told by the kidnappers that they were losing patience over the delays in the ransom payout.

“They told me not to lie and not to play around. They threatened to chop his head off. If they kill him, I want to die as well. I can’t sleep at all at night,” she was reported as saying, adding that she has continued to receive endless calls from the terror group, particularly in the last few days.

“The family has only raised RM140,000 in ransom money. I am not sure if we will be able to raise the RM3 million ransom.”

The desperate family went to Parliament early this month to highlight their plight. Chin said the kidnappers had even suggested ways she could raise money which included selling her possessions and property, asking family members and even asking the government.

Chin last spoke to her husband of six years in August and the abductors have since prohibited her from speaking to him.

“The same person has been talking to me all the time. They say they are not afraid and have even kidnapped a Malaysian policeman," she said, adding that the calls came from a Philippines number.

“I think of him all the time. When it rains, I wonder if he is cold. I can’t even finish my food not knowing if he has been given proper food or not,” she was quoted as saying.