Photo credit: BI

Looks like the Bureau of Immigration (BI) isn’t letting up on its mission to rid the country of foreign fugitives. This time, they’ve got their hands on another suspected member of Japan’s infamous Luffy gang.

On Friday, BI operatives arrested 33-year-old Natsuki Kimura along Ayala Avenue in Makati City. According to Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, Kimura has been on their radar ever since the bureau’s board of commissioners issued a deportation order against her in March 2023, declaring her an “undesirable alien.”

Kimura isn’t the first Luffy gang member to be caught in the Philippines. The notorious crime syndicate has been making headlines in Japan due to its involvement in theft and fraud cases.

What’s Kimura’s Role in the Syndicate?

Authorities say Kimura allegedly worked as a telephone operator for the Luffy gang’s international scamming operations. But that’s not all—she and an accomplice were also accused of posing as police officers to trick victims into handing over their ATM cards and personal information. A Tokyo summary court issued a warrant for her arrest last year for theft charges.

What’s Next for Kimura?

BI-FSU (Fugitive Search Unit) chief Rendel Ryan Sy confirmed that Kimura is now detained at the BI warden facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, while authorities process her deportation. Once all necessary clearances and travel documents are sorted, she’ll be sent back to Japan, blacklisted, and banned from re-entering the Philippines.

With the BI stepping up its crackdown on international fugitives, it looks like the Luffy gang is running out of hiding places fast.