The matriarch of the notorious Maute group was arrested in Lanao del Sur town late Friday afternoon as she and her other women companions were trying to sneak out of the province, police said Saturday.
Orminta Romato Maute, who also goes by the name “Farhana”, was captured in Barangay Tamboro Cormatan in Masiu, Lanao del Sur with seven other women, said Police Chief Supt. Rueben Sindac, regional police director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Reports indicated Farhana’s group was with two wounded individuals believed to be Maute combatants, but police could not verify this information as of this writing.
Seized from Farhana and her companions, who were on board a Toyota Revo when they were arrested, were assorted firearms and ammunitions, Sindac said.
It was learned that law enforcers had been tracking down Farhana who was reportedly purchasing vehicles and weapons as they were planning their exit out of Lanao del Sur.
Farhana is reported to be actively helping his two sons, Abdullah and Omarkhayyam, in their operations. The Maute Group are fighting the government forces in Marawi City since May 23 when law enforcers tried to arrest Isnilon Hapilon, a known Abu Sayyaf leader.
Their father, Cayamora Maute, was also arrested at a checkpoint in Sirawan, Davao City, on June 7.
The Marawi siege has already displaced thousands of residents fleeing the fighting and has caused the deaths of dozens of soldiers, insurgents, and civilians.
The military said it is expected to neutralize the Maute group, whose members have been occupying certain areas in Marawi’s downtown district, on Monday, June 12, in time for the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day.
The Maute Group has pledged allegiance to the Middle East-based terrorist organization the Islamic State.
Meanwhile, an adult female who shares the Maute surname, was held by authorities for questioning in Cagayan de Oro Friday night but was later released.
Chief Inspector Ariel Philip Pontillas, chief of the city police’s intelligence unit, said the woman who identified herself as a teacher at a school Marawi, had checked in at a hotel in that city.
Insp. Pontillas said it was the hotel management who informed them of a guest surnamed Maute.
“After a thorough verification and coordination from the intelligence community, we found out she has no involvement in the Maute Group. She was cleared,” Pontillas said in an interview Saturday.
The teacher was on her way to Surigao to be with her husband and stayed the night in Cagayan de Oro before proceeding there, police said. (PNA/Jigger J. Jerusalem)
photo credit: Sunstar.com
