A 65-year-old man considered one of the country's most wanted fugitives was arrested by the Northern Police District (NPD) during a coordinated manhunt operation along Llano Road in Barangay 169, Caloocan City.

The suspect, identified by authorities through the alias "Tata Peter," is the subject of multiple arrest warrants for four counts of statutory rape and one count of acts of lasciviousness, all committed against minors. These cases fall under Republic Act 7610, the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, which imposes stiffer penalties for crimes committed against children.

According to police records, the charges stem from a series of incidents in Gubat, Sorsogon, where the suspect allegedly sexually abused several minors. The heinous nature of the offenses and the vulnerability of the victims prompted authorities to issue no bail for the rape charges. Bail for the acts of lasciviousness charge was set at ₱80,000.

A warrant of arrest was issued on September 24, 2021, by Judge Bernardo Rivera Jimenez of the Regional Trial Court Branch 54 in Gubat, Sorsogon.

The suspect had been evading arrest for years and was included in the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) list of Most Wanted Persons. A ₱160,000 reward had been offered for information leading to his capture.

The successful operation was led by the District Mobile Force Battalion’s Intelligence Section, with support from the Technical Support Division, Intelligence Group, and personnel from the Gubat Municipal Police Station. Authorities had been conducting surveillance for weeks before confirming the suspect’s location in Caloocan.

Following his arrest, the suspect was brought to the Caloocan City Medical Center for a mandatory physical examination. He was then turned over to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit of the NPD for custody and eventual transport to the issuing court in Sorsogon.

Authorities reaffirmed their commitment to tracking down fugitives, especially those involved in crimes against children, and called on the public to report any information that may aid in the arrest of other wanted individuals.