FOUR Chinese fugitives were among the foreign nationals “rescued” during a raid in an alleged illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) establishment in Las Piñas City last week, a police official said on Monday, July 3, 2023.
In an interview with reporters, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Colonel Jean Fajardo said the fugitives were identified during the conduct of verification with the help of the Bureau of Immigration and the Chinese embassy in Manila.
She said these fugitives were involved in fraud and drug trafficking.
Fajardo said they will be deported back to their country in the coming days.
The four fugitives were among the over 1,000 foreign nationals who were rescued during the implementation of search warrant in Xinchuang Network Technology conducted by the National Capital Region Police Office and the PNP-Anti-Cybercrime Group, among others, last week.
Fajardo said the process of verification of the foreign nationals, which include Vietnamese, Chinese, Malaysians, Singaporeans, Africans, Pakistans, Indian and Iranian, among others, is ongoing.
Authorities are checking particularly on the legitimacy of their stay in the country.
Fajardo maintained, though, the regularity of the operation amid allegations that the PNP failed to observe the proper procedure particularly in handling the rescued individuals as some of them reportedly failed to get medical treatment. (SunStar Philippines)