BAGUIO CITY — More than three years after a court ordered his arrest for rape and molestation charges in Mountain Province, a man who had been in hiding was finally captured in General Nakar, Quezon, authorities said.

The suspect, identified only as “Tino,” was arrested based on warrants issued on 8 September 2022 by the Regional Trial Court in Bontoc, Mountain Province.

He is facing three counts of qualified statutory rape, which carry no recommended bail, and two counts of acts of lasciviousness in relation to Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, with recommended bail set at P200,000.

The arrest was carried out during a manhunt operation conducted by joint operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Quezon Provincial Field Unit, the Philippine National Police Special Action Force, and the General Nakar Municipal Police Station.

Authorities said the Department of the Interior and Local Government had earlier offered a P150,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s capture.

Investigators said the crime was allegedly committed in 2015, when the suspect sexually assaulted his minor niece, who was then a Grade 6 student, inside a storage room.

The suspect allegedly threatened the victim to keep silent about the incident.

The abuse remained unreported for years until the victim disclosed what happened to her father seven years later, prompting the filing of criminal complaints in May 2022.

After arrest warrants were issued, the suspect fled Mountain Province and reportedly hid in remote areas of the Sierra Madre mountain range, moving between General Nakar, Quezon, and Tanay, Rizal in an attempt to evade authorities.