A Chinese citizen was rescued in a lounge in Tagaytay City, and another 17 people were arrested, allegedly for using the lounge for cryptocurrency scam activities.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of the Philippines arrested 17 Chinese men and seized several mobile phones, SIM cards, and computers suspected of being used for cryptocurrency scams.
"All these [mobile phones] were used for transfers, for crypto... you can see they are all written in Chinese characters," said NBI Director Jaime Santiago.
The NBI stated that these Chinese citizens were living in this hostel, which victims revealed was actually a deceptive scam farm.
"Actually, he wanted to leave the group, but the gang did not allow him to leave, so he was beaten... beaten and also electrocuted," Santiago added.
It is alleged that the victim was tortured to prevent him from reporting the illegal activities to the authorities.
The suspects will be investigated on Thursday for violating the Cybercrime Prevention Act. The confiscated devices will also undergo further examination.
