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Wanted in Costa Rica Bank Heist
Fugitive Found Living in Canada
A man alleged to be an
international fugitive who
masterminded a $250,000 armed
robbery in Costa Rica 10 years
ago was arrested last Wednesday
in Mississauga, west of Toronto,
Canada.
In an early morning raid, the
Toronto Police Service's
fugitive squad arrested a man
they claim came to Canada under
the assumed name of Manuel
Emilio Montoya Otarola, claiming
to be 44.
But, police allege, his real
name is William Gurdian Angulo
and he is only 37. They say he
has been hiding out in
Mississauga and building a new
life for himself.
Police say Angulo led a
five-person crew who held up a
man at gunpoint and robbed him
of us$250,000 after he left a
bank in San José Costa Rica, in
May of 1994.
The bandits, including Angulo,
were arrested and convicted in
Costa Rica. Angulo was sentenced
to 10 years in prison in August
of 1995 but escaped custody
before he was jailed.
Using forged documents, he
slipped past authorities and
escaped into Canada through the
U.S. using an assumed identity
and a fake passport, police
allege.
Police also allege that a man
calling himself Montoya Otarola
made a refugee claim. Police say
they uncovered his true identity
when the fugitive squad looked
at his fingerprints after he was
convicted of assaulting a man in
2001.
Det. Jim Muscat of the fugitive
squad said a man using the name
Otarola had already obtained an
Ontario Health In-surance Plan
(OH-IP) number, an Ontario
driver's licence and several
bank cards.
"He was several years into his
new life," Muscat said
yesterday.
Angulo was "able to keep a low
profile" in Canada, Muscat said,
working part-time as a truck
driver and cleaner in
Mississauga. Forged documents
were recovered at the apartment,
Muscat said.
Interpol, a global police
communication system with a
range of criminal databases and
analytical services, also
advised the fugitive squad that
two more warrants had been
issued for Angulo for being a
member of organized crime and
for making counterfeit money in
Costa Rica.
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