At least 14 Chinese nationals were arrested by immigration agents in separate operations in Metro Manila who were also wanted in their home countries for operating a $100-million online gaming scam.
Meanwhile Metro Manila Police Chief Guillermo Eleazar ordered the arrest of three people, including a Chinese national and a lawyer, who offered a P2-million bribe in exchange for the release of one of two Chinese suspects arrested in Makati on Wednesday on charges of trafficking Asian women.
Charged were lawyer Joselito Vasquez, 56, of Makati City; Chinese national Huang Xiangfei, 29, temporarily billeted at Gramercy Hotel, also in Makati City, and Meljohn Palma, 43, a messenger of from Imus, Cavite.
Eleazar said the three, led by the suspects’ legal counsel, visited their office and offered P2 million to P/Col. Rogarth Campo in exchange for the release of Li Xuemei, one of the Chinese nationals arrested during a raid at a suspected prostitution den in San Antonio village.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the 14 foreigners were arrested in Makati and Pasay cities. The Chinese were arrested in a condominium at the Circuit Shopping Complex in Carmona, Makati.
“They will be deported for being undesirable aliens and for being undocumented. Their passports were all revoked by the Chinese government. Afterward, they will be blacklisted and banned from re-entering the Philippines, Morente said.
“We will continue to strengthen our partnership with our counterparts abroad in going after foreign fugitives who hide in our country to evade prosecution and punishment for their crimes.”
Immigration intelligence officer Bobby Raquepo said the aliens conspired to defraud their victims of money, allegedly amounting to more than 7 billion renminbi or nearly US$100 million, by operating a fraudulent mobile application called “Fast 3 Lottery” via the Internet.
Raquepo said hundreds of Chinese nationals were victimized by the fraudulent scam as they were enticed to bet their money which the suspects diverted to their own pockets.
All the Chinese arrived in the country as tourists, he said. With Joel E. Zurbano
