BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco announces the arrest of a fake interpol agent at the NAIA. (JERRY S. TAN)
A female trafficking victim pretending to be an Interpol agent was nabbed by Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the departure area of the NAIA Terminal 3.
In his report to BI chief Norman Tansingco, immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) Bienvenido Castillo III said the 34-year-old victim was intercepted while departing last March 8 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
Castillo said the victim was made to pose as an Interpol agent, under the Protective Intelligence Anti-Crime Organization (PIAO). She was turned over to the inter-agency council against trafficking for filing of cases against her recruiters.
The victim presented an identification card and letter orders from PIAO, saying that she is allowed to travel for a holiday. She was attempting to depart on board an AirAsia flight to Bangkok, Thailand when nabbed.
However, the immigration officer noted inconsistencies in her statements and referred her for secondary inspection.
“It was then that she admitted that her documents are fake, and that she was recruited via Facebook to work as a household service worker in Thailand. Her recruiter reportedly offered her P40,000 salary before giving her the documents,” he added.
Meanwhile, Tansingco lamented the use of creative stories and documents by traffickers to traffic their victims.
“Our immigration officers are well-trained to spot inconsistencies and fraud, hence such attempts will not succeed,” he assured.
