Police have arrested a Taiwanese national tagged as the alleged mastermind behind the gruesome “drum murder” case that stunned the public after a dismembered body was found inside a drum in Binondo, Manila, earlier this month.
Operatives of the Philippine National Police—Pasay City Police Station apprehended the 32-year-old suspect, known by the alias “Davao,” at around 1:30 p.m. on February 19, 2026, inside Okada Manila along Seaside Boulevard, Parañaque City. The arrest followed days of intensive follow-up operations led by Pasay City Chief of Police PCOL Joselito M. De Sesto.
Authorities identified the victim as a Chinese national known by the alias “Xiangyang,” whose mutilated remains were discovered inside a blue drum in Binondo on February 15. Investigators said the victim’s identity was confirmed through an S&R Membership Shopping card recovered during the probe.
Police said the suspect was responsible for the killing and dismemberment of the victim. The breakthrough in the case came after authorities earlier arrested a lead suspect involved in disposing of the remains, which helped build evidence pointing to the alleged mastermind. Investigators also credited the cooperation of the suspect’s live-in partner and hotel management for facilitating the arrest.
After his capture, the suspect was taken to the Investigation and Detective Management Section for documentation and later brought to Pasay City General Hospital for medical examination. He is now under police custody, with inquest proceedings being prepared before the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office.
Pasay police underscored that the arrest was the result of close coordination among units and round-the-clock investigative work. District Director PBGEN Randy Y. Arceo described the development as a decisive step toward justice, saying the brutality of the crime demanded the full force of the law.
