About 10 fishermen were abducted by suspected Islamic State-linked militants on Tuesday and brought to southern Philippines, Agence France Presse reported.
The suspects, who were heavily armed, are believed to be Abu Sayyaf Group members.
The kidnap-for-ransom group abducted the fishermen who were on two boats off eastern Sabah state, in the Malaysian part of Borneo.
There were six who managed to escape.
The incident was confirmed by Sabah police chief Omar Mammah.
Malaysia’s official news agency Bernama reported that the fishermen were taken to islands in southern Philippines.