BI arrests Japanese fraudster for deportation

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Monday that it has arrested and will deport a Japanese national wanted in Tokyo for swindling nearly 3 million yen.

Yokota Tetsuya, aged 39, was apprehended by BI officers in Binondo, Manila on January 2 at the request of Japanese authorities who informed the BI about his presence in the country.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado stated that after the board of commissioners issues an order for summary deportation, Tetsuya will be deported and permanently banned from re-entering the Philippines due to being classified as an undesirable alien.

Tetsuya is accused of making a fraudulent phone call to a victim, falsely claiming that transferring the right to enter a nursing home constituted a criminal offense, leading the victim to send over 2.75 million yen (approximately US$17,000) via postal mail.

A summary court in Omiya, Japan issued a warrant for Tetsuya's arrest in May 2024, and he is currently being held at the BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.

The Department of Justice warned foreign fugitives that the Philippines will intensify border control efforts this year to ensure stricter measures at all entry and exit points throughout the country.