2,000 cops, chopper to arrest ‘Owner of the Universe’

Davao City: Influential pastor Apollo Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed ‘Owner of the Universe’ and ‘Appointed Son of God’ who was wanted on charges of child sex trafficking, was arrested in the Philippines late on Sunday.

Over 2,000 police were deployed for more than two weeks to search a 74-acre compound in the southern city of Davao owned by his church - the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) - on suspicion that he was hiding there in a bunker.

Quiboloy's followers had blocked the gate of the compound to prevent shield-carrying police from enforcing a court order to arrest him. Police also used helicopters to circle over a cathedral, a college, and a stadium with 75,000 seats.

Days before Quiboloy's arrest, the police reportedly recorded the warmth and heartbeat of a human body, deep in the earth, using thermal imaging and radar technology.

Apollo Quiboloy, a longtime friend of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte, is wanted on charges of child and sexual abuse and related allegations of human trafficking. He also figures on the FBI's "most wanted" list on charges of sex trafficking.

Quiboloy was charged by the US Justice Department in 2021 with sex trafficking of girls and women between the ages of 12 and 25 to work as personal assistants, or "pastorals", who were allegedly required to have sex with him. He is also sought by authorities for bulk cash smuggling and a scheme that brought church members to the United States using fraudulently obtained visas.

They were then forced to solicit donations for a bogus charity, raising funds that were instead used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders. The evangelist preacher, who is followed by millions of people in the Philippines, has denied wrongdoing.