Bureau of Immigration (BI) operatives arrested on Wednesday a South Korean national long wanted by the Bureau for being a fugitive in his country, where he was charged with engaging telecommunications fraud.
In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco identified the alien as 35-year-old Kang Hee Woo, who was arrested in Mabalacat City, Pampanga by elements from the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU).
Tansingco said Kang will be sent back to Seoul immediately as an order for his summary deportation was already issued by the BI Board of Commissioners in 2018, after South Korean authorities informed the Bureau about his crimes.
“It took almost five years of intensive manhunt and surveillance operations before we were able to arrest him. This serves a warning to other foreign fugitives hiding in the Philippines. The long arm of the law will eventually catch you wherever you may be,” the BI Chief said.
Tansingco said that the Korean is also the subject of an Interpol red notice that was issued in 2021.
Korean wanted for telecom fraud falls in Pampanga – BI
According to the Interpol’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Manila, Kang was issued separate arrest warrants by the Seoul Central District Court and Seoul Dongbu Central District Court for alleged involvement in telecom fraud.
Kang was accused of being a high-ranking member of the Youngjae-Han telecom fraud syndicate, which is believed to have defrauded victims of more than 1,000,000,000 won, or roughly US$740,000.
The syndicate allegedly employed voice phishing operations through random calls to its victims in Korea.
The Korean is presently detained at the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City while awaiting deportation. He was placed in the Bureau’s blacklist and banned from re-entering the country.
Meanwhile, BI reported that its officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have rescued two more victims of illegal recruitment who were hired to work in Cambodia, possibly as workers for crypto scam syndicates operating there.
In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the two passengers were intercepted at the NAIA Terminal 3 last Sept. 27 before they could board a Cebu Pacific flight to Bangkok, Thailand.
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