17 Chinese arrested in Makati

MANILA, Philippines - Seventeen Chinese, 15 of them women, facing Internet fraud and cybercrime charges in their country, were arrested by immigration officers in a condominium in Makati City recently, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said yesterday.

Cai Hong Ji, Mei Li, Huan Huan Yu, Si Meng Liu, Jiang Yang, Wenjie Yan, Ruicen Yuan, Zhi Ying He, Ning Zahang, Qian Shi, Liu Jan Wen, Chen Yan Ling, Peng Yuan Yuan, Ling Min Zhang, Zhou Xiao Yun, Chen Qing E, and Guo Yan were apprehended in their condominium units at the Manhattan Square compound in Salcedo Village, BI Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said in a statement.

BI acting intelligence chief Ma. Antonette Mangrobang said the Chinese embassy’s police attaché confirmed that those arrested are fugitives who allegedly preyed on their countrymen by operating a clandestine call center.

The Chinese embassy sought the immediate deportation of the fugitives so they could face criminal prosecution in China.