Tuesday, April 25, 2006

After 31 Years, Wanted Man Finally Falls In South RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 25 Apr) A local man wanted for a string of criminal cases was arrested in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Norte almost 31 years after he went into hiding, police said Tuesday.

Police said detectives tracked Gener Abapo, now 55, in Dipolog City after weeks of surveillance. Abapo did not resist arrest, but was shocked when policemen nabbed him at the weekend.

Abapo is facing multiple homicide, two counts of arson and robbery in the village of Vitali, east of Zamboanga City. Police said he fled Zamboanga City in 1975 and went into hiding.

It was unknown how detectives traced Abapo, but he denied all the charges and claimed he moved in the province to take care of the family farm. He also married a local woman, but police did not say if she knew anything about her husband's past.

Under the Philippine penal law, criminal cases are usually archived after many years, especially if the accused is at-large.

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