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Antihuen's "safe house": The mistake that led to the capture of the last fugitive in the Carabineros murder case

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The fate of Tomás Damián Antihuen Santi (22), a fugitive wanted for the murder of three Carabineros officers ambushed in Cañete in late April 2024, was sealed this Friday afternoon. His capture took place about 10 kilometers from the crime scene, in a cabin—used as a safe house by the accused—located near Lake Lleulleu.

According to information gathered by BBCL Investiga, for several weeks, Tomás Antihuen's movements had been closely monitored by the police and the Public Ministry.

Intelligence suspicions suggested that the fugitive was hiding inside a lightweight-material house surrounded by bushes, which—due to the magnitude of the case—was under close scrutiny by officials from the OS9 Department leading the investigation.

Visual confirmation

A visual confirmation that the individual was inside the cabin led to High Complexity Prosecutor Carlos Bustos Muñoz of La Araucanía securing a verbal search and entry warrant from a Cañete Guarantee Court judge at 2:45 PM this Friday, March 21.

According to court documents accessed by this outlet, the hideout where Tomás Antihuen was found had been a location of interest for investigators since at least mid-2024.

The reason? José Melgarejo Calbullanca, a relative of the Antihuen Santi brothers, was registered as living there. In fact, Melgarejo was arrested during one of the many raids conducted in the area in August 2024 in connection with the murder of the three officers.

During that raid, authorities found ammunition and a 12-gauge Hatsan shotgun stolen from Carabineros in 2015 in Melgarejo's possession. For this reason, he remains imprisoned at the Bío Bío Penitentiary Complex to this day.

Tomás's fatal mistake? Trying to hide in a location already under heavy surveillance by the police and the Public Ministry.

The other detainees

Tomás Antihuen is the last of those involved in the murder of the three Carabineros in Cañete. Three other suspects were already in preventive detention after being arrested on July 29 in parallel operations in the Metropolitan Region and Arauco Province.

While his older brother, Felipe Antonio, was apprehended in Huechuraba, his younger brother, Yeferson Alexander, was arrested in the Antiquina sector of Cañete, along with the fourth suspect, Nicolás Bastián Rivas.

The Antihuen brothers are nephews of Carlos Antihuen, whom the officers were inspecting the night they were murdered due to an outstanding nighttime house arrest order against him.

The UZI and no resistance

According to known details, a large contingent of Carabineros participated in the operation that led to the capture of the last Antihuen Santi brother involved in the murder of the three officers.

Images released by the institution show at least 15 members of the Carabineros Special Police Operations Group (GOPE) taking part in the arrest.

The video shows Tomás Antihuen exiting the cabin wearing a blue t-shirt and cargo pants torn near the knees before being placed inside an armored Carabineros vehicle amid the heavy police presence.

According to information gathered by this Investigation Unit, the fugitive offered no resistance when police entered, despite having a UZI submachine gun in his possession—presumably one of those stolen from the officers on the day they were gunned down.

Source: BiobioChile