THE National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI 7) has launched a probe to find three Indonesian nationals whose passports were found from three vaults that were opened on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024.
NBI 7 Director Rennan Augustus Oliva said on Friday, Sept. 27, that these foreign nationals were not among the 169 individuals apprehended in an entrapment on a company alleged to be a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) at the Tourist Garden Hotel in Lapu-Lapu City last Aug. 31.
Oliva said the bureau has requested assistance from the Bureau of Immigration and the Indonesian embassy to check the status and identities of these individuals.
The NBI 7, he said, wants to find out if these three Indonesian nationals are still in Cebu. It has not released the names of the Indonesian nationals being sought.
Investigation has revealed that arrested foreigners had their passports confiscated upon arrival in the Philippines by their Pogo employers, who allegedly demanded US$2,000 for their return.
Aside from the passports, the NBI 7 also recovered 241 cellular phones from the vaults that were opened after a court issued a search warrant.
Special Investigator Wenceslao Galendez suspects these devices may contain crucial financial records and proceeds from illegal activities, potentially stored in e-wallets or local remittance accounts.
“We believe they secured the cellphones inside the vault because they contain vital information, not just information, but they may contain proceeds of their illegal activities,” Galendez said on Friday.
Galendez said that when scammers defraud someone, they utilize a specific device. Once the money is transferred to that device, the scammers then move it to another device.
Fraudsters, he said, transfer the funds from one account to another in this manner.
The NBI is awaiting warrant of disclosure to unlock the phones and is coordinating with remittance centers to trace any associated financial transactions.
This ongoing investigation is part of a broader crackdown on illegal Pogo operations in the Philippines.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has banned Pogos in the country as they have been linked to numerous illegal activities and crimes that include financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, torture, and murder. / ANV / TPT