BI arrests Japanese man linked to 'Luffy' gang

A Japanese man suspected of being part of the 'Luffy' gang was arrested in Las Piñas City on April 22 by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

Takuya Hoshino, 23, will be deported and banned from re-entering the Philippines following an arrest warrant issued by a Tokyo court for theft involving unauthorized withdrawals from stolen ATM cards.

Hoshino and his cohorts impersonated law enforcement officers to steal bank cards from elderly victims, siphoning off over 20 million yen ($141,000) through unauthorized transactions.

Since last year, the BI has arrested several members of the notorious criminal gang at the request of the Japanese government.

Hoshino entered the Philippines in October 2019 and was issued a deportation order by the BI in 2022 for being an undesirable alien.