Father of two of the four children who were miraculously found alive after 40 days alone in Amazon jungle is arrested by Columbian officials over ‘abuse’

The father of two of the four children who survived a plane crash that killed their mother and two other adults, then survived 40 days on their own in the Amazon jungle was arrested.

The Colombian Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that officials arrested Manuel Ranoque, 32, who is the father of the one and 4-year-old boys in the crash and the stepfather of the two girls, aged 9 and 13.

Officials gave little detail about the arrest, but media reports said the case involved allegations of abuse.

Astrid Eliana Cáceres, director of the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare, said the state agency had been working with the authorities.

‘We learned of the capture of the father of two Mucutuy minor children and we believe that the prosecutor’s office has operated within the full framework of the law,’ she said.

Exclusive photos show the four siblings, Lesly, 13, Soleiny, nine, Tien Noriel, four, and baby Cristin, one, safe in their hospital beds at a military hospital in Bogota, Colombia 

Ranoque had been embroiled in a fight for custody of the children with their maternal grandparents.

Their mother died four days after the crash, according to the oldest child, Lesly.

The four siblings have remained in the custody of Colombia’s child protection agency since leaving the hospital after recovering from malnutrition and other ailments.

Their maternal grandfather, Narciso Mucutuy, has accused Ranoque of beating their mother, Magdalena Mucutuy.

Before authorites confirmed his arrest, Ranoque acknowledged to reporters that there had been problems at home, but he said he considered it a private family matter and not ‘gossip’ for the rest of the world.

When asked if he had assaulted his wife, Ranoque replied: ‘Verbally all of a sudden, yes. Physically, very little, because we did more fight of words.’

The arrest was carried out in Bogota according to El Pais, a Spanish-language daily newspaper.

Colombian Family Welfare Institute’s (ICBF) director, Astrid Cáceres, told the outlet that the siblings were doing well.

Ranoque and military took part in the rescue mission in which the 32-year-old admitted to using hallucinogens to have visions that may lead them to the displaced minors

‘The children are still in the process of establishing their rights. We are not going to expose them to any other exercise. Their history and their personal lives are their own,’ she said.

Magdalena Mucutuy, the mother of the four children, died in a plane crash while they were traveling to Bogota to meet Ranoque – who had fled from an indigenous reservation where he was governor according to the outlet. 

Its been claimed that Ranoque was trying to get away after he reported threats from the Frente Carolina Ramirez – a group headed by former guerrilla leaders, for control of Putumayo and Caquetá, two areas in the Colombian Amazon, near the border with Ecuador and Peru, that play critical roles in the drug trade.

The children survived off cassava flour found in the luggage of one of the deceased, fruits from the jungle and a package of emergency supplies dropped by military.

Ranoque and military took part in the rescue mission in which the 32-year-old admitted to using hallucinogens to have visions that may lead them to the displaced minors.

When the children were finally found in June complaints began to swirl from the maternal grandparents of the children.

ICBF took charge of the children while they investigated claims of child abuse – allegations vehemently denied by Ranoque who was demanding custody.

‘They are my children, not the president’s,’ he told the newspaper in July.

Magdalena Mucutuy, the mother of the four children, died in a plane crash while they were traveling to Bogota to meet Ranoque 

DailyMail.com spoke to Valencia’s brother Dairo as he sat in the lobby of his Bogota hotel. ‘We didn’t know Magdalena was leaving with the children,’ Dairo said. ‘The most painful thing is my sister never said goodbye to us’

The maternal grandparents, Narciso Mucutuy and María Fátima Valencia, claimed that Ranoque ‘hit their daughter and mistreated their grandchildren.’

They have also been fighting for custody of the kids.

A few weeks ago, its been reported that Ranoque filed a million-dollar lawsuit against Avianline Charters – the owner of the plane that crashed.

DailyMail.com confronted Ranoque in the street after claims he abused Magdalena and her family exclusively said he had an affair.

Sporting what appeared to be new red and white Nike high top sneakers, designer jeans and a colorful Indigenous beaded necklace emblazoned with pictures of toucans and a tiger’s head, he dodged our questions.

Asked if he had any response to the claim he physically beat Magdalena, one of the minders with him shook his head and said: ‘Don’t answer that.’

Ranoque, who was outside the military hospital where all four children are recovering at the time did say, ‘that’s what I can’t talk about.

‘I can’t say anything. They’ve forbidden me from saying anything. These are personal issues.’ 

It was not clear who he was referring to when he said ‘they’, but it understood he has engaged a lawyer.

The four indigenous children are pictured after being rescued. They were missing for six weeks in the Colombian Amazon jungle after a plane crash 

Belgian Shepherd Wilson played a vital role in tracking down the four children but remains missing in the Amazon rainforest

When asked if he would talk about the rescue, he declined, saying: ‘I can’t right now. Because I have to go to the shops to get some clothes before they close.’ He did not say if this was shopping for himself or the children.

DailyMail.com exclusively revealed earlier that Magdalena’s brother Dairo Mucutuy, 30, believed Ranoque was cheating on his sister.

Ranoque – who has been highly vocal about claiming his rights over all four survivors – left Magdalena  at their Indigenous community for Bogota, alleging he was being threatened by FARC guerrillas in their homeland area.

But once in the sprawling capital city, the father of the two younger children allegedly had an affair – then brought the woman back to live in the southern tribal area, shattering his wife of seven years, her brother Dairo told DailyMail.com.

Ranoque later left for Bogota again, but kept the mom-of-four dangling with hope that they could re-establish a relationship, Dairo said at the time.

Sitting in the lobby of his Bogota hotel, Dairo calmly revealed to us: ‘What happened is that Manuel had come to this city and here he cheated on my sister.

‘The thing is, he took the woman he cheated with back to the community. So my sister of course left their house because of the affair and came to live with me and my partner and two children.’

Dairo, who has come to the capital from his base in the Huitoto Indigenous group homeland to offer his support for the surviving children, continued: ‘Manuel went back to Bogota, but he left a bag for her and inside was a piece of paper with a phone number.

‘Magdalena was communicating with him. But we noticed when she talked with him she would hide. And we would sometimes hear her crying.

‘We believe somehow she was fooled into trying to come to Bogota. We are not exactly sure of the reasons.’

‘We didn’t know Magdalena was leaving with the children,’ Dairo said. ‘The most painful thing is my sister never said goodbye to us.

‘We didn’t get to talk. It hurt when I found out what was happening between her and Manuel. I am so sad I never got to talk to her properly about it. I felt I didn’t want to pressure her about something that was so difficult for her.

‘I was waiting for the right moment. But that moment never came because she obviously made her decision to leave and we didn’t know about it.

‘Right before, she came to a community meeting and we thought she was going on to our aunt’s house. We didn’t know her goal was to take that plane. Maybe she felt confused. We’ll never know now.’

Amid the growing acrimony over the children’s future, Dairo said: ‘The hope is for the kids to stay together, because of what they went through.

‘Lesly got them all through this. And that makes a special bond. We want them always to stay together and that Manuel does not fight for custody.

‘I have talked to the older two’s father, Andres. He has seen the children and he told me that this is not the time for fighting and division. It is the time to focus on the well-being, safety and comfort of the children.’