Dismissed police official Rafael Dumlao, long a fugitive in the infamous kidnap-slay case of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo, was finally captured in Quezon City at dawn on Tuesday, June 9.
Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) stormed his hideout in Barangay Pasong Tamo, ending months of evasion.
“This morning’s operation is a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment to enforce the law and implement court decisions,” said Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, stressing that Dumlao’s arrest proves “no one is above the law regardless of rank, position, or former authority.”
Dumlao’s case is tied to one of the most chilling abuses of power during the drug war.
In 2016, while serving as a ranking officer in the now-defunct Anti-Illegal Drugs Group, he was implicated in the abduction of Jee Ick Joo in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Under the guise of an anti-drug operation, Jee was kidnapped for ransom.
He was brought to Camp Crame—the very headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP)—where he was strangled to death in a parking lot just steps away from the office of then-PNP chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
Jee’s body was then cremated and his ashes were flushed down a toilet.
Despite the killing, Dumlao’s group reportedly continued to demand ransom from Jee’s family.
The incident shocked the nation and led to the dissolution of the AIDG, which was later replaced by the PNP Drug Enforcement Group.
Though acquitted by a local court in 2023, the Court of Appeals (CA) reversed the decision in 2024, sentencing him to reclusion perpetua.
The Supreme Court (SC) upheld the ruling in June 2025, rejecting all appeals. His arrest this week finally enforces that judgment.
Investigators tracked Dumlao after noticing he had watched the livestream of his daughter’s wedding, giving away his location.
Found alone in the house, Dumlao had apparently been hiding there for some time.
Authorities seized a gun, laptop, and cellphone, all of which will undergo forensic examination as police work to identify those who may have aided his long concealment. (Aaron Recuenco)
