OPERATIVES of the National Bureau of Investigation-Criminal Intelligence Division (NBI-CRID) arrested a Chinese national caught demanding ransom in exchange for returning foreign passports held during a fraudulent visa processing scheme.
NBI agents apprehended the suspect during an entrapment operation at a restaurant in Pasay City after he accepted marked money from the victims.
Following the arrest, authorities recovered 22 foreign passports belonging to citizens from China, Vietnam, and Taiwan.
The operation stemmed from a formal complaint filed by the victims, who had initially engaged the suspect’s services to process their Philippine visa renewal applications.
Investigative findings revealed that the suspect used fake visa assistance services to gain the victims’ trust and take possession of their travel documents.
Instead of processing the visas, the suspect withheld the documents, falsely claimed they had been returned, and subsequently demanded ₱150,000 per passport for their release.
The withholding of the travel documents left the victims without valid legal identification and severely restricted their mobility within the country.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag confirmed that the bureau will file formal criminal charges against the suspect, including robbery-extortion, estafa, grave coercion, resistance and disobedience to an agent of a person in authority, and obstruction of justice.
The NBI reiterated its warning to the public, particularly foreign nationals residing in the Philippines, to avoid unauthorized individuals promising expedited government services through “special connections” and to report similar extortion schemes to law enforcement immediately.
