BI nabs Japanese Luffy gang member

BUREAU of Immigration (BI) operatives arrested a member of Japan's notorious Luffy gang, following intelligence information from Japanese authorities about the fugitive's presence in the Philippines.

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco on Monday identified the Japanese fugitive as Nagaura Hiroki, 26, who was arrested last Saturday along Estrella Avenue in Barangay Poblacion, Makati City by operatives from the BI's fugitive search unit.

Hiroki had been hiding in the Philippines since Nov. 20, 2019 when he last arrived in the country posing as a tourist. But it was only in 2022 that the BI was informed of his case in Japan.

Tansingco said the suspect would be deported soon and perpetually barred from reentering the Philippines.

Immigration records show that Hiroki was already ordered expelled by the BI in 2022 when an order for his summary deportation was issued by the bureau's board of commissioners.

«He was already placed in our immigration blacklist of undesirable aliens, thus he is perpetually barred from reentering the Philippines,» Tansingco said.

According to BI-FSU acting chief Rendel Ryan Sy, Hiroki has a standing warrant of arrest issued by the Tokyo Summary Court for theft in violation of the Japanese penal code.

Tokyo policemen alleged that he conspired with another suspect in robbing a home by falsely impersonating a police officer which enabled them to enter the residential premises under the pretext of investigating a stolen ATM card.

«Further, he is being investigated by the Japanese authorities for his involvement in alleged telecommunications fraud activities,» Sy said.