BI operatives arrest Korean, Japanese

Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo reported yesterday the arrest of a Korean national, suspected to be the mastermind of a human smuggling syndicate, and a Japanese, who is wanted for robbery in his home country.

Domingo identified the Korean as Park Jae Ho, who had earlier escaped from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) prison, and the Japanese as Ryuki Tanaka. They were arrested in separate operations by members of the immigration’s special operations team.

Domingo said Ho and Tanaka will be deported.

Ho was arrested three weeks after he and another Korean named Ahn Seok Joon escaped from BI custody by taking advantage of a medical pass that was issued to him by the BI.

Offficials said the two Koreans escaped with the help of corrupt immigration security guards who escorted them out of jail. The two did not return to their cell after the pass had expired.

The incident prompted Domingo to relieve the bureau’s jail warden from his post.

Records showed that Ho and other Koreans were arrested by immigration agents in March during operations in the cities of Makati and Pasig.

Investigation bared that Ho had been recruiting ethnic Koreans from China who intends to travel abroad but could not obtain travel documents through legal means.

Tanaka was arrested at the arrival area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport where he and a certain Anita Kudo, also a Japanese, were about to fetch the latter’s husband who arrived from Japan.

The Japanese Embassy said that Tanaka and three other unidentified Japanese are wanted by the Tokyo police for mauling and robbing a certain Hiroyuki Ama of more than 13 million yen last April in Tokyo. – Rey Arquiza