The Philippine National Police (PNP) insisted on Monday that the raid on a suspected fraud center in Malate, Manila was legal, with at least 69 foreigners arrested at the site.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) had previously stated that the operation conducted in a 40-story building was flawed after releasing 69 foreigners who could not be legally detained. The agency indicated that it was not involved in this operation.
PNP spokesperson BGen. Jean Fajardo argued that PAOCC was not involved in this operation because it was a fraud case, not a trafficking case, and did not require the involvement of PAOCC or the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking. "While respecting PAOCC, government agencies may not be appropriate to question the actions of other agencies," she said.
Fajardo mentioned that building security personnel and village government officials were present during the execution of the search warrant to ensure transparency. The police also wore body cameras.
"As far as the Philippine National Police is concerned, I spoke earlier with the district director of the National Capital Region Police Office and the head of the Anti-Cybercrime Unit; they support their police actions," Fajardo added.
On October 29, the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Unit and the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) led a raid on the 23rd floor of the building, which housed a fraud center operated by foreigners involved in cryptocurrency and romance scams. Authorities confiscated mobile phones, desktop computers, laptops, and various SIM cards.
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Among those arrested were 34 Indonesians, 10 Malaysians, and 25 Chinese—10 women and 59 men.
"After registration, they were taken to the NCRPO office, where the Bureau of Immigration conducted further registration, including biometrics. However, since no charges were filed yet, they were handed over to their respective embassies, and their names have been registered with the Bureau of Immigration," Fajardo said.
The 23rd floor is considered a crime scene and is still directly controlled by the operating unit.
Suspected fraud center located at Adriatico, Maynila raided by the police.
