The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of the Philippines recently raided an apartment in Parañaque City, Metro Manila, arresting four Chinese nationals suspected of telecommunications fraud. During the operation, the suspects attempted to throw laptops, mobile phones, and other key devices out of the window in an attempt to destroy evidence, but they were still spotted by the NBI agents.
It is understood that the NBI was originally executing another arrest warrant in the apartment when they noticed suspicious activities in a neighboring unit. As the agents approached the window, they witnessed someone throwing laptops and mobile phones out, which led them to enter and search the unit, finding a large number of electronic devices suspected of being used for online fraud.
"As we approached the window, we saw someone throwing out laptops, which alerted us," said Noel Bocaling, Assistant Director of the NBI's Criminal Intelligence Division. Tablets, mobile phones, and laptops were scattered on the ground below, presumably in an attempt by the suspects to destroy evidence.
Although some devices were severely damaged, the NBI stated that they would still attempt data recovery to identify the victims and the extent of the fraud. "As long as we can recover the data, we can track the usage records of these devices and further identify the victims and the affected countries."
Currently, the four Chinese suspects are detained at the NBI, facing charges related to the Anti-Financial Account Fraud Act. Facing the media, they refused to make any comments. The NBI emphasized that it will continue to combat telecommunications and online fraud crimes involving foreigners within the country.
