NBI arrests Japanese man for human smuggling
A Japanese national was arrested in Malate, Manila for allegedly being involved in mail order bride activities and human trafficking, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) disclosed on Thursday.
The suspect was identified as Jiro Saito, also known as “Saito San” or “Ken Suzuki,” NBI Director Dante Gierran said in a statement.
According to a report of the Philippine News Agency, Saito, 47, is married to a Filipina and is fluent in Filipino as he has been residing in the Philippines for 23 years.
A complainant, Ma. Therese Kyla Serafico, claimed that Saito provided her with a fake marriage certificate to aid her return to Japan on July 22.
Her departure, however, was foiled after the Bureau of Immigration (BI) intercepted her last July 22 upon discovering that the ages indicated in her passport and marriage contract were different.
The marriage contract stated that Serafico was married to a certain Atsushi Takashi on April 6 but the complainant admitted to the NBI that this was false.
According to Serafico, Saito gave her the certificate and a copy of Takashi’s passport on July 20, so she could pass through immigration and legally stay in Japan.
The complainant claimed that Saito had worked with Takahashi and three other people in facilitating her trip to Japan to work as an entertainer.
Aside from Takahashi, the NBI identified the three other suspects as Angelica Hernandez, Takashi Sugano, and his spouse Nancy Sugano.
In her previous trip to Japan, Serafico had worked in a club previously owned by Takahashi but now owned by the Sugano couple.
The complainant recounted that she was not allowed to refuse a customer’s demands, including sex.
PNA said Saito is facing charges for alleged violation of Republic Act No. 6955 (Mail Order Bride or Matching Filipino Woman for Marriage) and Republic Act 9208 or the Expanded Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012.
The four other suspects — Takahashi, Hernandez, and the Suganos — are still at large. — Carol Balita, INQUIRER.net Intern
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