A Korean fugitive wanted for various scams and other crimes escaped from the hands of immigration officers while attending a court hearing in Quezon City on Tuesday, March 4.
Immigration commissioner Joel Anthony Viado ordered a manhunt against Na Ikhyeon, who was charged in Korea for his involvement in deceptive investments.
Na attended an estafa case hearing on March 4 in Quezon City, but managed to escape authorities by slipping into the court’s restroom.
“We are investigating if his counsel has knowledge of this seemingly pre-planned incident,” Viado said. “We have also assigned a special tracker team to locate him and take (him back into) custody.”
The tracker team formed by the BI said they have strong leads on the whereabouts of the suspect.
The BI chief will file charges against those who may have possibly aided Na to escape.
Na is wanted for allegedly misleading his compatriots by directing them to invest in non-existing accounts, and then withdrawing the investments for his personal gain.
The Korean was previously arrested by the BI in May 31, 2023 and was held in its facility while awaiting his deportation.
However, his deportation was deferred pending the resolution of an estafa case filed by a Filipina against him at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.
The complainant, an owner of a small jewelry business, said Na consigned several jewelries as an agent, but failed to remit the full amount of sales despite several demands.
