A Chinese fugitive wanted for alleged involvement in telecommunications fraud in China was arrested in Pampanga, the Bureau of Immigration announced yesterday.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said Zhao Jianfeng was apprehended in an operation conducted last June 28 in a residential area at the Clark Freeport Zone in Mabalacat City.
According to Viado, Zhao, 28, is the subject of a detention warrant dated June 16, 2025 issued by the Liangqing Branch of the Nanning Municipal Public Security Bureau in China.
“This individual is part of a dangerous and organized network that has defrauded countless victims online. His continued presence in the country poses a clear and serious threat to public safety,” Viado said in announcing Zhao’s arrest.
“This arrest sends a strong message — the Philippines is not a safe haven for foreign fugitives,” he added.
Viado said information provided by their Chinese counterparts showed that Zhao is one of the core members of a transnational criminal syndicate involved in telecom and online investment scams targeting Chinese citizens.
He said the alleged members of the syndicate were reportedly based in the Philippines at the time the crimes were committed.
During the operation, immigration and intelligence agents also discovered five other Chinese allegedly engaged in illegal activities.
Viado said they were caught in the act of manning computer workstations believed to be used for telecom fraud. He identified the five as Song Genyuan, Wu Xinxu, Wen Jing, Xu Yongcheng, and Lin Jinyang.
In a follow-up operation later that day, immigration agents arrested another high-ranking syndicate member, Lu Bingbing, at a casino in Angeles City.
Viado said Lu failed to present her passport or any valid immigration document at the time of arrest
“All suspects are currently undergoing booking and documentation. They will be turned over to the BI Warden Facility in preparation for deportation proceedings,” added Viado.
Last year, the BI arrested and deported 62 Chinese nationals charged for various offenses in China.
