MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration said it has launched an intensive manhunt for a Korean fugitive who escaped the bureau's detention center last Sunday morning.
In a statement Wednesday, the Immigration identified the escaped detainee as Kang Juchun, 38. They said he “managed to breach the facility’s perimeter by scaling a 20-foot fence with barbed wires” in the early morning of Sunday.
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BI said Kang was reported to have used a blind spot in the facility’s CCTV system to reach the fence, which he climbed to escape. The bureau added that authorities believe Kang may have sustained injuries after falling from the fence.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said Kang was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on February 10 upon his arrival from Bangkok. He is subject to an Interpol red notice for charges of murder and abandonment of a dead body.
He was being held at the BI’s facility in Taguig pending deportation.
Tansingco said the bureau is in close collaboration with local law enforcement agencies to locate and arrest Kang swiftly. “Specialized teams have been deployed to various locations, following reliable leads to capture the fugitive,” the BI chief added.
He also said that the bureau is already conducing a thorough investigation to determine lapses and take necessary steps to prevent similar incidents from happening.
Meanwhile the bureau has “increased the height of the perimeter fence with barbed wires and added another watch tower to improve the facility’s security.”
The Department of Justice and the Korean Embassy have also been told of the incident. — Kristine Joy Patag