Immigration reports 83 fugitive foreigners arrested in 2021
MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration nabbed 83 foreign fugitives in the country in 2021, posting a higher number than 55 recorded arrests in 2020.
BI Fugitive Search Unit chief Rendel Sy reported that South Koreans topped the list with 55 of them arrested in the country. This was followed by eight Americans, seven Chinese, three Japanese and three Taiwanese.
Sy said in a statement: "Many of those arrested were involved in fraud, economic crimes, cybercrimes and sexual offenses."
BI FSU is tasked with arresting fugitives. Information on these often come from foreign governments and intelligence groups such as Interpol, the bureau explained.
The bureau counts among its notable arrests in 2021 the operation against Korean nationals Lee Honhee, who is wanted for attempted murder, and Seo Jungnam who is facing charges for allegedly being a leader of an online prostitution ring.
BI also noted the arrest of three more Koreans who are among the most wanted in their home country for their involvement in a big-time online scam. Agents also nabbed Lee Jaehun in December for reportedly being the boss of an illegal online gambling mafia.
The bureau also arrested French national Pascal Dider Gillot for alleged sexual abuse of minors and Taiwanese Huang Kuan-I who has been wanted for attempted murder charges for 17 years.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente reiterated that despite the pandemic, there will be no letup in investigations and operations against illegal aliens hiding in the country.
"We will do everything in our power to arrest them, deport them and ensure they are never able to return here," he added. — Kristine Joy Patag
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