THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has launched an intensive manhunt for a missing South Korean fugitive since early morning Sunday.

The Korean who was identified as Kang Juchun, 38, managed to breach the facility’s perimeter by scaling a 20-foot fence with barbed wires at 2 in the morning (May 21). Authorities believe he may have sustained injuries after falling.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco shared that Kang was initially apprehended last February 10 by immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 after arriving from Bangkok.

He was found to have an Interpol red notice hit for murder charges and abandonment of a dead body. He was charged and transferred to the BI’s facility in Taguig prior to deportation.

He was reported to have abused a blind spot in the facility’s CCTV, where he climbed the fence and fell on the cemented road.

“The BI is working in close collaboration with local law enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend him swiftly,” said Tansingco.

“Specialized teams have been deployed to various locations, following reliable leads to capture the fugitive,” he added.

“This is a serious breach of our facility’s security, and (we) have initiated a thorough investigation to determine lapses that allowed this to occur as well as take necessary steps to prevent similar incidents in the future,” said Tansingco.

Both the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Korean Embassy have also been informed of the incident.

Tansingco added that they have increased the height of the perimeter fence with barbed wires and added another watch tower to improve the facility’s security.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Jun I. Legaspi