• CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
Charges are now being prepared against two Malaysian nationals who were arrested in a rented house in Barangay Singcang-Airport, Bacolod City Thursday, for alleged human trafficking.
Eight Filipinos, aged 25 to 30, were rescued from an alleged love scam operation during the raid conducted by the police that led to the arrest of the two foreign nationals, whose visas were found to be expired.
Police Major Justin Noel Josol, head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Bacolod (CIDG-Bacolod), said one of the suspects has been residing in Singcang, Bacolod for over a year.
He said three search warrants were simultaneously served at a house the suspects rented in Singcang, and another in Handumanan. Seized from the suspects were laptops and other equipment used in their operation.
Josol said the suspects allegedly recruited their potential victims, offering them fake jobs. The victims were not well compensated and forced to work, with penalties if they cannot reach a quota. There is a possibility that torture is involved.
The operation stemmed from a complaint that the suspects allegedly offered their victims to be models, and their photos were being sent to foreign clients to be used for a love scam operation, he said, adding the operation resulted from months of surveillance and validation work.
Josol said this is the third time he has raided a love scam operation. The others were in Clark and Subic.
He is urging more victims of alleged love scam to come forward and file charges against the two arrested foreign nationals who are now undergoing investigation to determine whether they are part of a larger syndicate.*
