A Japanese wanted by Tokyo for alleged involvement in a telecommunications fraud was arrested by operatives from the Bureau of Immigration Fugitive Search Unit (BIFSU) in Makati City.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said Eiji Shigematsu, 48, was arrested last February 7 on Ayala Avenue, Bel Air Village, Makati City on the strength of a mission order he issued upon receipt of information from the Japanese government which reported Shigematsu’s presence in the Philippines.
“We will deport him and he will be blacklisted and banned from reentering the country,” said Viado.
BI-FSU chief Rendel Ryan Sy said the Japanese is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Kajiki summary court in Japan in July last year after he was charged with theft in violation of the Japanese penal code.
Shigematsu and his accomplices were accused of running voice phishing operations that victimized many of their compatriots, Sy said, adding they allegedly perpetrated the scheme by impersonating police officers to extract money from their victims.
Sy said a check of the Japanese’s travel records revealed that he is overstaying, having been in the country since October. 18, 2019.
While not part of the “Luffy gang,” authorities believe Shigematsu and his cohorts operated a similar scheme on a smaller scale.
Last year, the BI arrested and deported several members of the “Luffy gang” after Japanese authorities sought their deportation for alleged involvement in robberies and other crimes.
Shigematsu is detained at the BI warden facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City pending deportation proceedings.
