No ransom demand received, police looking at every possible angle into both cases
“About half an hour later, seven people were seen approaching the second fishing boat in Lahad Datu.
“We are still trying to ascertain the report because the location between the first incident and the second incident was only about five nautical miles,” said Abdul Rashid.
Abdul Rashid also said that no ransom demand had been received and police were looking at every possible angle in both cases.
This is the sixth kidnapping incident to have taken place along the east coast of Sabah within this year.
On Sept 11, three fishing boat crew members were reported to have been kidnapped from nearby Pom Pom Island off Semporna.
The owner of the fishing trawler claimed that gunmen, believed to be Filipinos, charged at their vessel at gunpoint and took with them three crew members, including the boat captain, before fleeing in a speedboat towards southern Philippines.
Two months prior to the incident, five Malaysian sailors were believed to have been kidnapped after the tugboat they were sailing in was found abandoned in Dent Haven waters off Lahad Datu.
On April 15, four of 10 Indonesian crewmen onboard the TB Henry tugboat was abducted by armed men near Tawi-Tawi Island.
Moments after the 6.30pm incident happened, the six crew members were rescued by Malaysian security forces when their boat entered Malaysian waters.
On April 2, four Sarawakians were grabbed from the MV Massive 6 tugboat off Pulau Ligitan by armed masked men as they were returning to Tawau after delivering timber cargo to Manila.
The four men from Sibu were released after being held captive for 37 days by their Abu Sayaff captors.