A South Korean fugitive wanted by authorities in Seoul for involvement in telecommunications fraud was arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in a recent operation in Pampanga.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said Lee Seul Ki, 37, was arrested last July 11 inside his condominium unit at the Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles City by operatives from the BI’s fugitive search unit (FSU) headed by Rendel Ryan Sy.
Tansingco said Lee was arrested on the strength of a mission order which he issued at the request of the South Korean government which sought the BI’s help in arresting the fugitive.
A check of the BI’s travel database showed that Lee last arrived in the country on May 26, 2016 and has not departed since then. He is currently detained at the BI warden facility ion Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City pending deportation proceedings.
According to the BI-Interpol, Lee is subject of an arrest warrant issued by the central district prosecutor’s office in Seoul and Nambu district court on Feb. 17, 2017.
Authorities have accused Lee of being a member of a voice phishing syndicate who posed as a police officer or financial advisor in making calls to victims who were duped into revealing their personal bank data. The scheme reportedly enabled him to transfer the victims’ money to his own bank account.
It is estimated that Lee earned more than 178 million won or nearly US$130,000 from the said racket.
Lee’s passport was already canceled by the Korean government, thus he is already considered as an undocumented alien who is subject to summary deportation.
“We will send him back to Korea after our board of commissioners has issued the order for his summary deportation. We will then include him in our blacklist to prevent him from re-entering the Philippines,” the BI chief said.
