A fugitive gunman who allegedly killed a Bulacan police officer and hid his body in a septic tank has been captured in Davao del Norte after a weeklong cross-country flight, authorities said Friday.

Julian Salamat was arrested Wednesday morning in Tagum City and transported back to Malolos City to face murder charges, according to Col. Angel Garcillano, chief of the Bulacan Provincial Police Office. Salamat is the primary suspect in the death of Staff Sgt. Renato Casauay Jr., whose body was discovered 31 January.

Garcillano said Salamat fled Bulacan for Manila, flew to Cebu, and then traveled by land through Dumaguete, Misamis, and Lanao before arriving in Tagum. Police tracked him after a couple in Tagum, whom Salamat considered friends, tipped off investigators about his location.

“Salamat told them he had a problem related to this case,” Garcillano said. “During the arrest, he yielded a passport he may have intended to use to flee the country via a backdoor route.”

Investigators recovered a 9mm pistol and the victim’s motorcycle in Malolos. Forensic tests revealed that several suspects in the case tested positive for illegal drugs.

Two other suspects, Marvin Nolasco and Albert Maglinis, surrendered to police in Malolos and Isabela earlier this week. They, along with Oliver Mauricio — the son of local journalist Orlan “Orly” Mauricio — are facing charges as accessories to the crime.