THE Philippine National Police said a total of 851 workers of offshore gaming company allegedly running a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scam in Sitio Pag-asa, Brgy Anupul, Bamban, Tarlac.
The operation was done by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Regional Field Unit 3, Anti Cyber Crime Group, and Tarlac Provincial Police Office.
According to Police Brig. Gen. Romero Caramat Jr., Director of the CIDG the workers come from the Hong Sheng Gaming Technology, among which include a Malaysian National identified as Chai Kiat Chiw, 350 other foreign nationals, and 500 Filipinos.
The arrest was made by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by Hon. Maria Roma Flor Ortiz, Presiding Judge of RTC Br 63, Third Judicial Region, Tarlac City.
Authorities said that the said gaming company is licensed as POGO but behind its permitted operation lies a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scam.
At present, technical officers from the PNP ACG together with the CIDG investigators are still identifying, processing, and examining all “computer data” found in the seized pieces of evidence.
“Meron tayong mga na rescue na mga empleyadong hindi pinapauwi at nadedeprived ng basic needs at liberty” Caramat said.
Criminal complaints for violation of Section 26 of RA 8799 (Securities Regulations Code of the Philippines) in relation to Section 6 of RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) and Human Trafficking (RA 9208) were being prepared for filing.
Meanwhile, police are also preparing to launch a manhunt operation against the three at-large personalities identified as Thelma Barrogo Larnan, Yu Zheng Can, and Zhiyang Huang a.k.a. “Boss Wang”.
“While the Senate hearing on the stopping or shutting down POGO operations is ongoing, the CIDG also remains relentless in its intel-driven and intensified anti-criminality campaigns against said gaming companies or corporations as a continued response to the directive of the then President Rodrigo Duterte and PNP Chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr., to crackdown all illegal online gaming operations in the country,” Caramat added.
“This effort of the PNP CIDG truly manifests that we are serious in our efforts to crackdown all form of criminalities related to POGO operations. While we recognize the legitimacy of existence of POGO in the country, as our laws and our government would allow, we will not cease to go after those who do fraudulent and illegal activities in the guise of a legitimate POGO operation, Azurin for his part said.
Currentph News Service
