BI intercepts 3 human trafficking victims; nabs Japanese fugitive

Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have intercepted three suspected victims of human trafficking who attempted to leave the country disguised as tourists.

Meanwhile, BI operatives also arrested a Japanese fugitive wanted by authorities in Tokyo for robbery, extortion and involvement in telecommunications fraud.

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the three passengers were apprehended before they could board an Air Asia flight to Bangkok, Thailand at the NAIA 3 terminal.

“There will be no letup in our campaign against human trafficking.  We are sending a strong notice to these syndicates that we have doubled our vigilance in seeing to it that our poor Kababayans do not fall prey to their activities,” Tansingco said.

He said the trio later admitted that their final destination was Vientiane, Laos where they were allegedly hired to work as customer service representatives and promised salaries of P30,000 to P40,000 a month.

“The modus operandi employed here by the syndicate is for their victims who were disguised as tourists to initially fly to Thailand where they would later board a connecting flight to Laos,”Tansingco said.

The passengers' names were not divulged as the law prohibits public disclosure of human trafficking victims.

According to BI travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) head Ann CamilleMina, the victims gave inconsistent statements during the interview and presented fake employment documents.

They admitted however, that the documents were merely handed over to them at the airport hours before departure

The victims were later turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT)for investigation and filing of charges against their recruiters.

The captured fugitive was identified as Yohhei Yano, 43, who was arrested in Guimbal Port, Iloilo by operatives from the BI's fugitive search unit (FSU).

Tansingco said Yano was arrested at the request of the Japanese authorities in Manila which sought the BI's help in locating the fugitive.

“He will be deported for being an undesirable alien, as he is a fugitive from justice,” the BI chief added.

BI-FSU chief Rendel Ryan Sy disclosed that an arrest warrant was issued by the summary court in Yakkaichi, Japan on Aug. 4 last year after charges of robbery and extortion were filed against him before the said court.

Sy also bared that Yano is being investigated for involvement in the illegal activities of a Japanese syndicate which was said to have operated a telecom fraud racket in 2019.

“He is also an undocumented alien as his passport was already revoked by the Japanese government,” Sy said.

The suspect is now detained at the BI warden facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City pending deportation proceedings.