Authorities have apprehended dismissed Police Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Dumlao III, ending his nearly decade-long evasion of justice concerning the 2016 kidnapping and murder of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo inside Camp Crame.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced that law enforcement operatives captured Dumlao around 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday in Pasong Tamo, Quezon City.
According to Remulla, the breakthrough came after investigators learned that Dumlao had attended his daughter’s wedding the previous week. An informant who provided the precise location of the fugitive will receive a ₱1-million government reward.
The high-profile murder of Jee became one of the most controversial scandals linked to the previous administration’s war on drugs.
Investigations revealed that the victim was abducted from his home in Angeles City, Pampanga, and brought to the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters, where he was strangled to death. His remains were later cremated and reportedly disposed of in a toilet facility within the camp.
Remulla stressed that the operation strictly adhered to legal protocols, contrasting it with past controversial police operations.
“Yung tokhang kasi gave too much license to the PNP officers to do things at their whim,” Remulla said.
“In this case, ginawa namin ang lahat according to the law. We did not violate any procedure. We read him his rights… Dinala siya for proper investigation and he will face justice,” he added.
Dumlao had initially been acquitted by an Angeles City regional trial court. However, the Court of Appeals overturned the ruling in 2024, clearing the path for his re-arrest.
Police are currently conducting forensic examinations on Dumlao’s electronic devices to identify any individuals who may have aided him during his years in hiding.