Lyu Dong, passport name Lin Xunhan, a native of Hunan, China, is rumored to have arrived in the Philippines at the age of 26 and is now 39 years old.
It is reported that since 2016, he has systematically established a network of scam farms, often employing legitimate businesses as fronts to cover his illegal activities. His "business" territory gradually expanded to five regions in the Philippines, including Pasay, Parañaque, Manila, Makati, Northern Ilocos Sur, and Cebu in Central Visayas.
He also gradually acquired nicknames such as Boss Boga, Boss Apaw, and Boss Bahao, and is commonly referred to as 'Haohao', meaning 'boss of bosses'.
A PAOCC official personally confirmed: "He is the 'leader' of our offshore gaming companies. He came here in 2016. Since then, he has established offshore gaming companies in the 3rd, 1st, 4th districts, and the Metro Manila area."
Thus, major media outlets refer to him as the "Godfather of POGO."
It is worth mentioning that earlier incidents in the POGO parks of Porac and Bamban areas are also related to him.
Philippine officials stated that although his name does not appear in the records of any companies such as Lucky South 99 POGO, Whirlwind Company, Bamban POGO Hongsheng/Zun Yuan, and the landlord Baofu, he actually has private connections with notorious institutions like Lucky South 99 and Hongsheng/Zun Yuan, and is a key figure in the operation of Lucky South 99, with early connections to Guo Aili.
Earlier, Guo Aili was asked at a hearing to reveal the key figures behind the scenes, but she remained silent, only willing to write it down, even asking officials not to disclose it. It is unknown if she wrote down Lyu Dong's name at that time.
An official stated that everything Guo Aili revealed pertained to individuals no longer in the Philippines. And this Lyu Dong is the person who made her "tremble"!
There is a coincidence that the president of Lucky South 99, who helped Guo, Weng, and Guo's siblings flee to Indonesia, is named Zhang Jie; among the 12 Chinese bosses arrested with Lyu Dong yesterday, there was also one named Zhang Jie. (It is not yet officially clarified whether they are the same person.)
According to a PAOCC official, when a special team applied for a search warrant to raid the POGO center Lucky South 99 in Porac, Lyu Dong was one of the named individuals. From that time until now, the authorities have been searching for him for eight months.
But Lyu Dong is highly vigilant, always accompanied by bodyguards. On the night of his arrest, if not for his bodyguards temporarily stepping away, the authorities would not have had the opportunity to act.
According to a PAOCC official, Lyu Dong seems very fierce: "When we exposed Lucky South 99, he offered a bounty for our heads, including mine and my colleagues at PAOCC, our lawyers, and the officers of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. He priced each head. That's why we spared no effort to bring him to justice."
It is undeniable that there must be forces behind Lyu Dong; otherwise, it is somewhat unbelievable that he could not be traced for eight months. Even if he had a helicopter to fly around, there should have been some news.
Moreover, having eight months to flee, yet not leaving the Philippines, and even being caught by the police while hosting a party with more than ten other Chinese bosses at the time of his arrest, suggests not recklessness but rather a confident belief that he would not be caught.
Upon further reflection, on June 5th, when Lucky South 99 was raided, the raid team did not enter the park. They only caught over 150 onlookers and passersby around the park to report back.
At that time, some officials suspected that there was an insider tipping off those inside the park.
If not for the informant providing clues this time, it is unknown how long it would have taken to catch him.
It is worth mentioning that according to the interview video after Lyu Dong's arrest, he stated that after being arrested, the bag containing his passport and small amnesty card had disappeared, implying that the police took his passport and small amnesty card.
The small amnesty card, officially known as the Philippine ASRV, is a special permanent residence visa obtained after becoming a member of the Aurora Special Economic Zone. It is obtained through donations for permanent residency and is valid for life.
The benefits of this card include opening overseas accounts, starting businesses, and enjoying tax benefits; it also facilitates transferring to a third country, making it convenient to transit from the Philippines to other countries.
The police were prepared to search his belongings and take his important documents immediately after arresting Lyu Dong.
Currently, Lyu Dong is detained in the PAOCC detention center, where he firmly denies the charges, claiming to be a victim of mistaken identity.
During the interview, his innocent expression hardly seemed like that of a big boss, but rather like an underpaid migrant worker.
However, even if he cries injustice, once the investigation reveals evidence, he will have no defense.
Philippine legislators are also eagerly anticipating pulling out more behind-the-scenes manipulators. Congressman Zhang Qiaowei has boldly stated, "More people will be arrested because of this!"
This scandal may be bigger than Mayor Guo's scandal! After all, the one arrested this time is the "boss of bosses," and the scope of involvement can be imagined. Please stay tuned with PASA for more developments!
