The South Korean escapee Na Ikhyeon, previously arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for committing fraud, has been re-captured in just five days.
Following his escape on March 4, authorities traced his whereabouts to a residential area in Barangay Pampang, Angeles City in Pampanga. Kang Changbeom, Ikhyeon’s associate and a key figure in his disappearance, was also taken into custody.
It was verified with the National Police Agency in Korea that Changbeom is also a wanted criminal, and had also been charged with fraud.
Both fugitives, marked as high-risk detainees for potential escape attempts, will be brought to the BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City and kept under heightened security, the immigration bureau said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the three employees involved in Ikhyeon’s escape have all been terminated. The two contractual workers were immediately dismissed, and the third permanent employee’s case was brought to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The agency saw fit to discharge the employee on Friday.
The re-arrest was carried out by the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit and Intelligence Division, in coordination with the City Intelligence Unit, Police Station 4 Angeles, the Regional Special Operations Unit PRO 3, the PNP-Intelligence Group, and the Naval Intelligence and Security Group Northern Luzon.
