Indian Expatriate Biju Kolaraveetil, 36, who was kidnapped by the brutal Islamic terrorist group, Abu Sayyaf, on June 22, is reportedly still in the hands of the group. Biju and his wife, Elena, a Filipina, and their two sons, Arujun and Ajay, visited the Philippines in June, to visit with Elena's aging parents in Patikul, Sula province. Biju and Elena had both been working for a South Korean multinational company for nearly ten years , where they met.
Biju was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf when a number of armed men converged on Elena's parents' home in Patikul. Despite pleas from the Indian Government and appeals to the Indian Embassy in Manila, Biju remains in captivity.
COMMENT: Abu Sayyaf, which has links to al-Qaeda, has demanded a ransom payment equivalent to US$470,000, otherwise they threaten to behead Biju. The group has kidnapped foreigners in the past, including an American, who was killed while in captivity.
Sula, an island province, is located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Its population is nearly 1 million. Considering that the population of the Philippines is one-third of the US and the fact that the Philippines is comprised of some 7,000 islands, Biju could be held almost anywhere, but presumably in Mindanao.
Biju was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf when a number of armed men converged on Elena's parents' home in Patikul. Despite pleas from the Indian Government and appeals to the Indian Embassy in Manila, Biju remains in captivity.
COMMENT: Abu Sayyaf, which has links to al-Qaeda, has demanded a ransom payment equivalent to US$470,000, otherwise they threaten to behead Biju. The group has kidnapped foreigners in the past, including an American, who was killed while in captivity.
Sula, an island province, is located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Its population is nearly 1 million. Considering that the population of the Philippines is one-third of the US and the fact that the Philippines is comprised of some 7,000 islands, Biju could be held almost anywhere, but presumably in Mindanao.
