A soldier reportedly identified as Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and his father were arrested for the alleged long-term sexual abuse of a minor relative, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) announced.

Members of the QCPD Special Operations Unit tracked the suspects, aged 34 and 64, to a remote area in Barangay Santor, Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, early Friday morning. Both men were subjects of standing warrants of arrest and were listed among the region’s most wanted individuals.

The 34-year-old suspect faces four counts of acts of lasciviousness and five counts of sexual assault.

His father is charged with qualified rape, five counts of acts of lasciviousness, and three counts of sexual assault.

Police investigators said the suspects allegedly targeted the same victim, a relative who was 10 years old when the abuse began.

“These individuals are most wanted at both the regional and district levels,” said Police Major Freddie Zorilla, officer-in-charge of the QCPD Special Operations Unit. “The victim is their niece and granddaughter.”

Authorities allege the abuse spanned five years, from January 2018 to March 2023. According to Zorilla, the uncle allegedly molested the victim over that period, while the grandfather is accused of rape beginning in 2021 when the victim was 13.

The suspects reportedly attempted to evade authorities by hiding in Samar and Nueva Ecija. Zorilla confirmed the younger suspect is an AWOL soldier, while the father is unemployed.

Meantime, the 34-year-old suspect denied the allegations while in custody. “That is not true,” he said, adding that his father suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and does not understand Tagalog.

The suspects are currently held at the QCPD headquarters in Camp Karingal pending the return of their warrants to the court.