Man wanted for 37 years over multiple murder arrested in Bangsamoro

A man wanted for 37 years in connection with a multiple-murder case in Luzon has been arrested in the Bangsamoro region.

Police arrested the suspect, identified by officials only as “Mando,” on September 2 in Barangay Nuro, Upi, Maguindanao del Norte. Agents from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, backed by the Upi municipal police and other Bangsamoro regional police units, found and detained him with assistance from local executives. Officials said he yielded peacefully.

The case dates to a gun attack on August 24, 1989, in Barangay Bagutari in Sto. Tomas, Ilagan, Isabela. Authorities allege that four people were killed. The suspect is expected to be escorted back to Luzon, where he will face prosecution under a warrant issued by an Isabela court.

Friends in Upi told reporters that the suspect had lived in the upland municipality for more than two decades. They said they learned he was wanted in the high-profile case only after his arrest. The Department of the Interior and Local Government had reportedly offered a 50,000-peso reward for information leading to his capture.