Takayuki Kagoshima (Photo courtesy of BI)
MANILA – Philippine immigration authorities deported on Tuesday a Japanese national who is an alleged member of the notorious "Luffy" gang linked to a string of theft and fraud cases in Japan.
In a statement, Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco said 54-year-old Takayuki Kagoshima and a team of Japanese police escorts boarded a Japan Airlines flight to Tokyo which left the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at 10 a.m.
Kagoshima was arrested by the BI's fugitive search unit in Pasay City on March 4.
The foreigner has been on the BI's wanted list since October last year when a summary deportation order was issued by the bureau's board of commissioners against him and eight other alleged members of the Japanese gang for being undesirable aliens.
“There will be no letup in our campaign to hunt and deport all foreign fugitives who are hiding in the country. We cannot allow the Philippines to become a refuge for these wanted criminals,” the BI chief added.
Kagoshima is wanted by a court in Japan's Fukuoka Prefecture for theft charges.
Japanese authorities also alleged that Kagoshima is also a member of the so-called “JP Dragon” syndicate that plotted to steal cash cards from victims by impersonating police officers.
Kagoshima is the seventh suspected member of the "Luffy" gang to be deported by the BI.
The BI deported six other members of the gang last February and March.
"Luffy" is a fictional character, the captain of "Straw Hat" pirates in the Japanese manga series One Piece. (PNA)
