Immigration agents nab South Korean fugitive wanted for large-scale fraud in Taguig

Bureau of Immigration operatives arrested a South Korean fugitive wanted by authorities in his country for large-scale fraud.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente identified the fugitive as 50-year-old Sin In Chul, who was arrested at his condominium residence in Taguig City by joint operatives from the Bureau’s Fugitive Search Unit  and Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

The arresting officers were armed with a mission order that Morente issued at the request of the South Korean Embassy which informed the BI about the fugitive’s presence in the country.

The Embassy also said that Sin’s passport is about to be revoked, thus he will, eventually, become an undocumented alien.

“We will send him back to South Korea as soon as our Board of Commissioners issues the order for his summary deportation. He will be placed in our black list of undesirable aliens to prevent him from re-entering the Philippines,” Morente said.

The South Korean national is reportedly the subject of a red notice issued by the Interpol after he was charged with fraud, and issued an arrest warrant by a district court in Incheon, South Korea.

Prosecutors alleged that from January to March 2020, Sin defrauded 31 of his compatriots of more than 1.086 billion won or roughly US$914,000 by selling them face masks that he did not deliver.

The suspect reportedly managed to dupe his victims by posting advertisement of his non-existent products over the Internet. He was able to entice prospective buyers to advance and deposit their payments to his bank account. He pocketed the victims’ funds as he had no intention to deliver the masks since they’re not in his possession.

Sin is temporarily detained at the CIDG headquarters in Manila pending release of the result of his COVID-19 swab test.