nearly 600 arrests in crackdown on human trafficking

A large-scale operation. Philippine police announced Saturday, October 28, that they had arrested nearly 600 people during a raid on a building in Manila believed to house 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, said the Presidential Commission against organized crime. Police began questioning the 598 people arrested to determine whether they were victims or suspects, Justice Minister Jesus Crispin Remulla said.

There is growing concern about online scams in the Asia-Pacific region. They often involve victims of human trafficking forced to engage 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 was contacted to try to identify nine nationals suspected of being at the head of the organization, officially licensed as an internet gaming site. The police asked the courts for authorization to search the computers found. They could contain evidence of cryptocurrency fraud and fake love stories.