Police verifying if notorious Abu Sayaf gunman Mundi Sawaadjan is alive

KOTA KINABALU: Malaysian police is in the process of re-ascertaining if notorious southern Philippines based Abu Sayyaf gunman Mudzrimar @ Mundi Sawadjan is dead or alive.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Razarudin Husain said that they would check with their counterparts in the Philippines on the actual status of the Mundi who was previously reported to have been killed.

He was responding to questions on why Mundi was put back on Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) wanted list of 20 Abu Sayaff gunmen linked or involved in cross border kidnappings in Sabah waters after he was reported to have been killed in a shootout with the Philippine authorities on May 17 last year.

"We will 'confirm' back with the Philippine authorities," he said after the graduation ceremony and presentation of certificates of appointment to Student Police Volunteer Corp (Suksis) at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) here Saturday (Jan 29).

Mundi was a sub commander in the Abu Sayyaf group and had been blamed as the mastermind behind two major attacks in the city of Jolo that included the bombing of the Cathedral

Mundi, was also the nephew of Hatib Hajan Sawdjaan, and widely seen as the man designated to be Emir or leader of the Philippines Islamic State.

All the individuals listed under Esscom wanted list were believed to be linked in the kidnapping for ransom cases in the waters of the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZONE).

On investigations into medical parishioners issuing fake digital vaccination certificates to the public, Razarudin said that there were no cases in Sabah so far.

"So far in Sabah, there is no report, but there have been reports in Melaka, Terengganu, Selangor, Penang, Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Kelantan," he added.