DAVAO CITY — Police arrested a member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF) at a checkpoint in the Compostela Valley town of Pantukan Friday afternoon.
Chief Insp. Jason Baria, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office 11 (Davao region), said Cristobal Dimpo Jikiri, also known as Ustadz Gulam Jikiri, is listed as the third “most wanted” BIFF member in the region.
Baria said Jikiri, 71, is a Davao Oriental-based member of the BIFF, a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS).
Jikiri, who is wanted for murder, was heading back to Davao Oriental when arrested at a checkpoint in Barangay Tambongon, Pantukan, he said.
Before the arrest, police said Jikiri was sighted several times at his brother’s residence in Tambongon.
Chief Supt. Marcelo Morales, PRO-11 director, said the arrest of Jikiri was part of the government’s continuous campaign against terrorist elements.
Morales noted that police units in the region have been carrying out arrest warrants against wanted persons, even during the holiday season.
Two hours before New Year ’s Eve, police arrested murder suspects Robert Calipsan, Jobert Dinglasa Calipsan, and Jeccris Calipsan Dinglasa in Digos City.
On Thursday, Davao City policemen also arrested 18 persons wanted for various crimes. -PNA
