BI deports 46 Chinese in cyber fraud

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has deported 46 Chinese fugitives wanted for cyber fraud in their homeland.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the Chinese were deported on Dec. 1 aboard a China Southern Airlines flight to Shenyang.

Morente said the deportees were among the 81 foreigners apprehended by agents of the BI Fugitive Search Unit in an operation along Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati on Nov. 7 for illegally operating trading business online.

 He said the target of the raid were four Chinese fugitives wanted for cybercrime. But the BI agents stumbled on the other foreigners, including Taiwanese fugitives, involved in online fraud.

The Chinese were held at the BI detention facility at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City before they were deported.

They were included in the immigration blacklist to prevent them from re-entering the country, Morente said.

BI legal division chief Arvin Cesar Santos said the board of commissioners issued a summary deportation order against the Chinese on Nov. 17.

Santos said the Chinese embassy sought the suspects’ arrest.