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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 2 foreigners arrested for 'online scam operation' -- NBI

2 foreigners arrested for 'online scam operation' -- NBI

Published Feb 13, 2026 02:24 pm
Two foreigners have been arrested and a foreigner they detained has been rescued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) from an “online scam operation” inside a village in Muntinlupa City.
In a statement, the NBI said its agents “successfully secured the victim and arrested two Chinese suspects who were identified as the individuals responsible for supervising and detaining him.”
The operation, it also said “led to the detention of eight other foreign nationals who were taken to the NBI Headquarters for verification after they failed to provide valid immigration documents or a legitimate explanation for their presence in the village.”
The arrested Chinese nationals have been charged with illegal detention, a violation of Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code.
The NBI said: “The operation was initiated following a distress complaint from a friend of the victim. The victim, also a Chinese national, was reportedly being held against his will inside a villa and forced to work as an encoder for an online scamming syndicate.”
During investigation after the arrest and the rescue, the victim said that he was subjected to physical abuse and death threats to prevent him from escaping.
The operation was conducted after the victim sent distress messages, and photographs and global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of his location, the NBI said.
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