PHILIPPINES – Authorities here have detained two internationally wanted Japanese men in Manila for their alleged involvement in a fraud ring that targeted victims by posing as police officers, reports TBS News (Apr. 29).
Philippine immigration officials announced that Takumi Oi, 30, and Sho Okada, 27, were taken into custody in the capital Manila on Tuesday.
The pair are suspected of participating in a tokushu sagi (specialized fraud) syndicate. In such a crime, a caller on the telephone impersonates an authority figure or a relative and deceives them.
Arrest warrants were issued by a court in Fukuoka Prefecture earlier this month on suspicion of fraud, triggering the international manhunt.
Impersonating law enforcement is a notorious and lucrative tactic frequently used by Japanese crime rings operating out of Southeast Asia to extort money from unsuspecting victims back home.
Philippine authorities stated that the arrests were carried out in “close coordination with Japanese police.” Both suspects are currently being held and will be deported to Japan to face charges.
