19 police teams hunting down Napoles, brother

MANILA, Philippines—Nineteen tracker teams are hunting down fugitives Janet Lim-Napoles and her brother Reynald “Jojo” Lim, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group said Friday.

CIDG chief Superintendent Frank Uyami Jr. made the announcement after his office received a copy of the arrest warrant issued against the siblings last Wednesday.

Uyami said two tracker teams will come from the CIDG headquarters and one from each of its 17 regional offices throughout the Philippines. Police Senior Superintendent Harris Fama will lead the search.

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

So far, police have done the profiling of the suspects, and continuously contacting informants about the possible whereabouts of Napoles and Lim.

“Of course not only one area will be searched. The tracker teams have gone to other places but we are withholding information for now,” Fama said, adding that their operations are independent from that of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Uyami, meanwhile, appealed to the public to relay to authorities any information that may help in finding the suspects charged for illegal detention of Benhur Luy, the principal whistle-blower in the supposed P10-billion pork barrel scam that Napoles allegedly masterminded.

The public may also conduct a “citizen’s arrest” since the siblings already have arrest warrants, Uyami said, but added that it would be safer for concerned citizens to just drop by any police station or CIDG offices in different parts of the country and inform authorities on the whereabouts of the two fugitives.

The NBI has reported that Napoles allegedly owns at least 28 houses, and 30 vehicles.