By Robina Asido

Six Japanese fugitives were arrested in three separate operations conducted by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Bulacan and Quezon provinces on Tuesday.

BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval identified the six Japanese fugitives as Nobuyuki Arima, 45, Iwamoto Miyako, 34, Yano Yuya, 33, Ayumi Osawa, 33, Norichika Harada, 48 and Yukio Monde, 53.

Sandoval said all of them who were arrested in three separate operations in "Bulacan, Lucena and Candelaria, Quezon" are "all from the JP Dragon breakaway group."

"Reports from Japan’s National Police Agency?Organized Crime Department indicate that the suspects are members of a breakaway faction of the JP Dragon syndicate," the BI stated.

Incoordination with the Philippine National Police, the BI Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) arrested Monde in Brgy. Sapang Palay, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan before noon of Tuesday.

Monde who allegedly obtained money from a bank using forged documents is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Hiroshima Summary Court in Japan for forgery of private documents, uttering forged private documents, and fraud, in violation of the Japanese Penal Code.

FSU operatives also arrested Harada, along Catana Street in Brgy. Bocohan, Lucena City, Quezon. A warrant of arrest was issued against him by the Fukuoka Summary Court in 2023 for theft.

"Harada and his accomplices reportedly posed as law enforcement officers to deceive elderly victims into surrendering their ATM cards and personal information, which were then used to make unauthorized withdrawals amounting to a substantial sum," the BI stated.

In the evening of the same day, Arima, Yano, Iwamoto, Ozawa were also arrested in a subdivision in Candelaria, Quezon.

"They were found operating online workstations and processing documents containing multiple phone numbers suspected of being used in scamming activities," the Immigration said.

"The Japanese authorities confirmed that the four are wanted by the Fukuoka Summary Court for crimes related to fraud and theft," it added.

Sandoval said following the arrest, the six Japanese fugitives were turned over to the BI warden facility in Camp Bagong Diwa at Lower Bicutan, Taguig City.

They are undergoing deportation proceedings and will be included in the Bureau’s blacklist to prevent their return to the country. DMS