THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Sunday said it has re-arrested two Korean fugitives wanted for estafa and fraud in South Korea after their escape on March 4, assisted by three immigration staff.
In a Zoom briefing, Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado said they nabbed the two men in Angeles City, Pampanga, at 5:30 a.m. on March 9.
“As evidenced by the CCTV footage we have gathered, the two contractual employees have been terminated right after the escape. We received an update from the Department of Justice (DoJ) that on Friday, Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla released the termination of the third employee involved in this incident,” he said.
The first fugitive, a 28-year-old Korean man, was charged with estafa by a Filipina and nabbed in 2023. During his hearing on March 4, he escaped by leaving the Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City with BI personnel and boarded a BI vehicle.
This prompted the bureau to do an internal “cleansing” to determine any related illicit activities within the bureau personnel.
Both fugitives have been transferred to the BI detention facility in Taguig City under heightened security measures, as they are now classified as high-risk detainees. — Chloe Mari A. Hear
