A former police officer in the Philippines who was tagged as a notorious “contract killer” by the Philippine National Police (PNP) was arrested in a sting operation in Abu Dhabi.
Former police officer Ruben Baliong, who was wanted for 4 counts of murder, has been hiding in Abu Dhabi for years.
He has 3 pending warrants of arrest, which were issued by the Caloocan Regional Court and another by a Parañaque court, for cases of murder and physical injuries.
Before his arrest, he was working in Abu Dhabi as a security officer since January 2019.
The PNP coordinated with the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime, Interpol National Central Bureau for the arrest of the suspect. The suspect was nabbed last February 3, 2021 in a joint operation by Abu Dhabi Police, Interpol, and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
“The subject was arrested by Abu Dhabi Police and turned over to our custody on February 3, 2021,” said PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group Chief Col. Thomas Frias Jr.
The suspect was turned over to Philippine operatives at the Abu Dhabi International Airport last March 6 and was flown to Manila on Monday, March 8.
Baliong was formerly assigned at the Mandaluyong Police Station 3.
