The intervention took place in a building in Manila suspected of harboring human trafficking and online scams. The authorities will question all the people to determine their responsibility.
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A large-scale operation. Philippine police announced Saturday, October 28, that they had arrested nearly 600 people during a raid on a Manila building suspected of harboring sexually exploited human trafficking and online scams. Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese and Filipinos were in this complex which included a massage parlor, a restaurant and karaoke rooms, and where the police also discovered sexual paraphernalia, announces the Presidential Commission against Crime organized.
Police began questioning the 598 people arrested to determine whether they were victims or suspects, Justice Minister Crispin Remulla said. Online scams are causing growing concern in the Asia-Pacific region, where they often involve victims of human trafficking coerced into engaging in illegal activities.
“Traces of torture”
During the dragnet, at least two Chinese people claimed to be held against their will and presented “traces of torture”, said the press release. One said he was kidnapped and sold for 500,000 pesos (around 8,300 euros), and the other said he had been detained for a year and forced to work 15 hours a day.
The Chinese embassy has been contacted to try to identify nine Chinese people who are suspected of being at the head of the operation, officially licensed as an internet gaming site. The police asked the courts for authorization to search the computers found in the center, which they suspect of managing cryptocurrency fraud and false love stories.