A “most wanted” fugitive has been found hiding in a shed, where he spent five years without the property owners noticing.
Álvaro Pasquín Mora was arrested on Tuesday (22 Jul), just days before the legal deadline for prosecution was set to expire.
Pasquín, 32, was wanted for sexual abuse and making threats.
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The manhunt began in 2020 after a court issued a warrant for his arrest over the sexual abuse offence, committed in Madrid, Spain, in 2017.
The case was due to expire on 31 July.
Despite years of attempts to track him down, he managed to stay under the radar.
But in July 2024, the Spanish National Police added him to their “Ten Most Wanted” list — and tips from the public soon started coming in.
Those leads, combined with stepped-up efforts by officers as the legal time limit neared, ultimately led to his discovery.
Officers tracked him down to a shed at the back of a property in Madrid’s Colonia Jardín neighbourhood, where they arrested him on Tuesday morning.
He had been living in the vegetation-covered shed since 2020, waiting out the arrest warrant’s expiry date.
Police say he survived by ordering takeaway food using a false identity and had altered his appearance by growing his hair long and dyeing it blonde.
During his five years on the run, he barely left the shed or spoke to anyone, as reported by Need To Know.
After his arrest, he was brought before a judge and ordered into custody.
Pasquín became known as the “tattooed fugitive” during his time at large.
Among his many tattoos is the phrase “La suerte está echada” (“The die is cast”) across his chest.
Of the 10 fugitives featured in the National Police’s July 2024 campaign, only four remain at large.
