American fugitive arrested

Bureau of Immigration (BI) agents have arrested an American citizen wanted by US federal authorities for raping a child in Virginia.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente disclosed that 53-year-old Teodoro Lumaban Jr. was apprehended Wednesday near the US embassy along Roxas Blvd. in Manila by operatives from the bureau’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU).

Lumaban was about to renew his US passport at the embassy when he was accosted by the arresting agents armed with a warrant of deportation signed by Morente.

“I signed the said warrant pursuant to a summary deportation order that the BI board of commissioners issued against him (Lumaban) for being an undocumented and undesirable alien,” the BI chief said.

Morente added that the American’s passport was already canceled by the US government and that he was ordered expelled for posing risk to public safety and security due to his being a fugitive from justice. According to Bobby Raquepo, BIFSU acting head, Lumaban had been hiding in the country for more than three years and that he had an appointment with the US embassy to renew his passport when he was arrested.

Raquepo said the fugitive was unaware that his passport was canceled and that the US embassy, which sought his arrest, had already informed the BI-FSU about his scheduled appointment. (Jun Ramirez)