A Japanese fugitive, who is allegedly wanted in several countries for various crimes such as online fraud and extortion, has been arrested at a hotel in Paranaque City by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
In an announcement on Wednesday, May 26, the NBI identified the arrested Japanese as Watanabe Yuki, who is also known as Kenji Shimada and Shi Shimada.
The NBI said Yuki was arrested last March 17 together with two other Japanese nationals identified as Tomonobu Saito and Kousuke II.
It said that Saito and Kousuke II failed to present their passports and Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR). Saito, on the other hand, has a summary deportation order. Both were turned over to the BI.
The NBI said Yuki is “an international wanted fugitive with Blue Notice in Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization).”
Google says “a Blue Notice is issued when Interpol grants a member country's request for assistance with the following: seeking the location of someone connected with a criminal investigation, identifying someone connected with a criminal investigation, finding witnesses to a criminal act, and locating friends, relatives, or associates of offenders or suspected offenders.”
NBI Officer-in-Charge Director Eric B. Distor said that “subject Yuki was hiding in the country due to his involvement in various crimes in Japan and other countries, and he is also allegedly operating syndicate activities in the Philippines, such as but not limited to, online fraud and extortions.”
“Verification conducted by the NBI-STF (Special Task Force) to ascertain the veracity of the information revealed that subject Yuki is said to be the ‘Big Boss’ of the largest telecommunication fraud syndicate, whose international operations cover several countries including Japan and Philippines,” the NBI said.
It said that Yuki will be turned over to the BI which issued a commitment order against the Japanese “for undesirability (fugitive) and Illegal Entrant.”
In the meantime, it said, Yuki has been placed under the custody of the NBI’s Security Management Section (NBI-SMS) after being found positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).