THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Monday the arrest of four South Korean fugitives who are facing criminal charges for their alleged involvement in multimillion telecommunications fraud.
A report submitted by the BI fugitive search unit (FSU) to the office of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente identified the fugitives as Won Jinchul, 40; Shim Jae Yong, 28; Kwon Hyunil, 32; and Cha Jun Young.
Jinchuil was arrested last Thursday along C.M. Recto Highway in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga for being an undocumented alien and a risk to public safety and security, while the three others were arrested in a condominium in Barangay Bambang, Taguig City also on the same day.
Won was arrested by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office for committing fraud.
He was accused being a member of a voice phishing syndicate in Korea that defrauded their compatriots by pretending to be a police officer or a bank employee.
It was reported that their nefarious activities, which panned from May 2013 to June 2014, Won may have pocketed over 177 million KRW or P7.4 million.
On the other hand, BI said Shim is the subject of a warrant of deportation from the BI issued in October this year.
His name is included in the Interpol Red Notice and he has an outstanding warrant of arrest for fraud issued by the Suwon District Court in South Korea, September 6, 2019.
He is accused of being a member of a telecom fraud syndicate engaged also in voice phishing that operated in Manila since January 2017 and which defrauded many Koreans of more than 990 million KRW or P41.9 million.
The BI said Cha is a fugitive reportedly involved in the same scheme where he managed to amass 18 billion KRW or P762 million from 2018 until 2020.
During the operation against the duo, arresting agents came across Kwon in the same vicinity.
Upon verification with Korean authorities, it was confirmed that Kwon also has a pending warrant of arrest for fraud, issued by the Goyang branch of the Uijeongbu District Court on June 11, 2019.
“These illegal aliens have no place in our country…Their nefarious activities will not prosper here, as we are intent in locating, arresting, and deporting these wanted criminals,” Morente said.
The four fugitives are now temporarily being held at the BI’s detention center in Bicutan, Taguig, pending deportation proceedings against them.