Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Viado ordered a manhunt operation for a South Korean fugitive facing fraud charges who escaped authorities during his case hearing.
The BI identified the suspect as Na Ikhyeon, 28, who managed to flee despite the presence of his legal counsel.
“We are investigating if his counsel has knowledge of this seemingly pre-planned incident,” VIado stated.
“We have also assigned a special tracker team to locate him and again take custody,” he added.
Na is wanted in South Korea for his involvement in a fraudulent investment scheme. South Korean authorities stated that the suspect deceived his fellow nationals by convincing them to invest in non-existent accounts.
Additionally, he and his accomplices subsequently withdrew the investments for their own personal benefit.
Prior to his escape, the suspect had been taken into custody by BI operatives in May 2023 and was awaiting deportation in the agency's detention facility.
The foreign national's deportation was postponed pending the resolution of an estafa case filed against him by a Filipina at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.
A jewelry business owner filed a complaint, stating that the suspect had consigned several pieces of jewelry as an agent but failed to return the complete sales amount, despite repeated requests.
The suspect attended a hearing related to the case on March 4 but managed to evade authorities by escaping through the court's restroom.
Viado stated that the tracker team has reported solid leads on the suspect. He also mentioned that charges are being filed against anyone who may have assisted Na in the incident.
