CCTV footage traps Binondo condo killer

Police have arrested a Chinese interpreter in connection with the discovery of a dismembered body found stuffed inside a drum in Binondo, authorities announced Wednesday.

The suspect, identified by the alias Victor, was apprehended after security footage from a Pasay City condominium linked him to the disposal of the remains. A second Chinese suspect remains at large, according to Pasay City Police Chief Col. Joselito de Sesto.

The victim, described as having Chinese features, was found Sunday inside a blue drum sealed with tape. Despite the arrest, De Sesto said the suspect has refused to cooperate with investigators.

Security footage from the 15th floor of the condominium showed a suspect pushing the drum toward an elevator at approximately 5:25 p.m. Sunday. He reportedly asked a security guard for assistance, claiming the drum contained bottled soft drinks. Further footage showed the suspect at the ground floor driveway a minute later, waiting for a rented utility van.

Both suspects were seen returning to the building at 7:37 p.m. When police later inspected the suspects’ unit, they discovered a grisly scene.

“The bloodstains were still there,” De Sesto said. “There was a lot of blood on the pillows and what looked like remains of a body. The mop still had blood on it. They tried to clean it, but blood was still left in the master bedroom.”

The investigation began Sunday night after two scavengers reported the drum to the Manila Police District. The scavengers told police that two men in a white Mitsubishi L300 van stopped on Mel Lopez Bridge and paid them to dispose of the drum. The scavengers took the drum to the Delpan Sports Complex, where they opened it and discovered a trash bag containing the chopped remains of a man.

Investigators have not yet identified the victim, who remains unclaimed. De Sesto said authorities are still determining how long the suspects have been in the country and whether the killing was motivated by debt.

Police are coordinating with the condominium’s administration to identify the owner of the unit where the killing allegedly took place.