Metro’s top fugitive falls

MANILA, Philippines - The prime suspect in the killing of a police official in Pasay City in 2013, listed as the No. 1 most wanted person in Metro Manila, was arrested in Makati City Thursday.

Paul Jan Romeral, 37, was attending the funeral of his best friend at St. John Bosco Parish when operatives of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) arrested him.

NCRPO director Chief Superintendent Joel Pagdilao said Romeral was the prime suspect in the killing of Senior Inspector Virgilio Sinlao in Pasay City on Aug. 15, 2013.

Aside from the murder of Sinlao, Romeral is also reportedly involved in the illegal drug trade, Pagdilao said.

Romeral was often seen accompanied by three or four armed bodyguards when he would roam around Pasay Ctiy, investigators said.

Director Gene Cerbo, of the Directorate for Intelligence, listed Romeral as the No. 1 most wanted person in Metro Manila.

Romeral is also at the top of the most wanted lists of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the National Bureau of Investigation.