THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) nabbed a Korean man and his accomplices in Angeles City, Pampanga, on charges of human trafficking, it said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the agency said it rescued 12 victims, including five minors, who were allegedly being trafficked and exploited for entertainment services in a local club.
The probe was triggered by a complaint from the husband of one of the victims, who accused recruiters of illegally deploying women to Korea as performers without proper permits from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.
Authorities later uncovered that the scheme was a front to lure victims into working at an Angeles City club, where they were allegedly offered as models and entertainers for foreign patrons, with hotel check-ins as part of the arrangement.
The suspect was taken into custody following an operation led by the NBI-Bataan District Office, in coordination with the Philippine National Police and the agency’s Human Trafficking Division.
He and his associates were charged under the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022 and the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.
They were presented for inquest proceedings before the Angeles City Prosecutor’s Office. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
