A Japanese deportee caused a scene at the Ninoy Aquino International Airpor Terminal 1 and had to be subdued by 10 men before he was handcuffed.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) stated that the man, Hiramura Takashi, was among nine Japanese fugitives who were wanted in Tokyo due to alleged telecommunications fraud. All of the fugitives were escorted by Japanese police.
Apart from Takashi, the other fugitives include Matsuoka Shunjiro, Haga Kenji, Yoshizawa Shinichi, Takeda Tasuya, Araki Toshiya, Ogawa Takuma, Kiya Yasuke, and Ichimura Shuichi.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente stated that the nine were part of a syndicate that extorted victims who were mainly Japanese. The BI’s Fugitive Search unit found and arrested all nine men last November 2019 in a hotel in Makati.
“They were involved in voice phishing and telephone fraud operations that targeted Japanese,” said BI Commissioner Jaime Morente.
Japanese authorities likewise reported that the gang defrauded their victims of roughly two billion yen, equivalent to about a billion pesos, causing significant damage to Japanese society.
A group of 10 gang members were deported earlier this month to face their crimes in Tokyo.
Morente said the fugitives have been placed in the BI’s blacklist, hence barring their return to the country.
