6 Koreans held for online gambling

CEBU CITY—The police arrested on Friday six Korean nationals allegedly running an illegal online gambling operation at a condominium in this city.

The Korean nationals identified themselves as Dong Chul, 28; Jaehak Han, 24; Moonoh Kim, 31; Seungyeop Oh, 34; Kiwon So, 34, and Zu Mao Rum, 30. The police have yet to verify their identities.

The six were arrested inside five adjacent condominium units of Winland Towers in Barangay Camputhaw.

A team from the Philippine National Police Regional Intelligence Division made the arrest based on a search warrant issued by Cebu Regional Trial Court Judge Sylva Aguirre-Paderanga against Munchi Beck, identified as the alleged operator of the online game.

The police seized from the five condominium units more than 10 computer processing units, computer monitors, three keyboards, laptops, cellular phones, calculators, other computer gadgets and bank books.

Chief Insp. George Ylanan, Regional Special Operations Group chief, said the six Koreans were caught in the act of operating the online gambling using the computers.

Ylanan said they conducted the operation after they received tips from their informant regarding the illegal online activities in Cebu City.

Their informant started giving them tips following the arrest of five Koreans in Lapu-Lapu City, also due to a similar operation.

The clients of the online gambling used credits cards in placing bets. The operation involved results of international games, Ylanan said.