BI nabs Taiwanese in ‘chop chop’ case

By JUN RAMIREZ

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) is set to deport Taiwan’s No. 1 most wanted criminal, wanted by authorities in Taipei for murdering and cutting into pieces the body of a Canadian teacher.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente disclosed that American 37-year-old Oren Sh­lomo Mayer is currently detained at the BI Detention Center in Bicutan following his arrest on Sept. 6 in Cainta, Rizal by ele­ments from the Bureau’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) and agents from the Philippine National Po­lice, Intelligence Group, National Capital Region.

Morente said Mayer will be deported to Taiwan where he will face charges of homicide for alleg­edly killing 43-year-old Canadian teacher, Sanjay Ryan Ramgahan on Aug. 21.

“We have received information both from US and Taiwan authori­ties about Mayer’s crimes, and both request that he be deported to Taiwan,” Morente said.

Mayer, who also goes by the name ‘Oz Diamond’, dismembered his victim before dumping his sev­ered body parts in the river.

Mayer has a pending felony warrant from the Taiwan New Taipei District Prosecutor’s Of­fice issued on Aug. 24, and has been charged with offenses of homicide.

Taiwan police said Mayer fled to Manila on Aug. 25, four days after he and two other suspects were implicated in the murder of Ramgahan as the latter was walking his dog along a riverside park near Zhongzheng Bridge in Taipei’s City’s Yonghe District.

“He is on the list of Taiwan’s most wanted fugitives, and is said to be a big-time drug personality in that country,” Morente said.

He added that Mayer is also an undocumented alien as his pass­port was already revoked by the US government.

According to BI intelligence offi­cer and FSU chief Bobby Raquepo, Mayer is also suspected of being the biggest supplier of marijuana in Northern Taiwan, and that the killing may have been precipitated by an alleged drug dispute with the victim.

The murder was allegedly planned by three suspects. Mayer, with a cohort, allegedly rode bi­cycles to the area and waited for their victim whom they pounced on and tied with a metal chain, before hacking with machetes.