A suspected human trafficker who attempted to escort out of the country five of his victims was nabbed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers.
In a release by BI, the group was supposed to leave for Tokyo, Japan on Oct. 11 at the NAIA Terminal 3.
BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina said the suspect’s attempt was foiled after immigration officers noticed inconsistencies in their answers to questions and doubted the authenticity of documents they presented.
Four of the victims claimed they were employees of the suspect in his travel consultancy business while the other one claimed he is a public transport operator and neighbor of the suspect.
The suspect also failed to show proof of his business.
Timotea Barizo, head of the BI’s travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU), said three of the victims are first-time travelers while the two others are former overseas workers who left and worked abroad without documentation.
The suspect and his companions were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for investigation and filing of appropriate charges.
Meanwhile, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente reiterated his call for those who want to work abroad to not fall prey to illegal recruiters.
