Lanao del Sur policemen nabbed a notorious member of the terrorist Maute Group, along with his two cohorts, on Tuesday.
Philippine National Police chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. identified the suspect as Mastura Disomala, 43, a former barangay chairman who is allegedly maintaining private armed groups that are linked to the Maute Group.
During the operation that was backed by a search warrant, his companions, Samen Mamasao and Moca Giambal, were also arrested.
During the search, policemen recovered an M-16 rifle with scope said to be a military property with serial number (SN) DL162793; a Colt M-16 rifle with SN 9051451; an M-14 Rifle with SN 420879; an Ingram Cal. 9mm with SN152556;
a .45 caliber pistol with SN 165471; a hand grenade and several magazines for various firearms.
“We laud our detectives from CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) and operatives from the Marantao Police Station for a job well done. The armed suspects may pose threat to the communities, notwithstanding reports tagging them as local terrorists. This is a major accomplishment in our fight against insurgency and terrorism but the quest to achieve peace and order continues and we will be relentless,” Azurin said.