The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported Wednesday that two Chinese nationals wanted in their home country for allegedly operating online gambling websites were arrested in Parañaque City.

The BI’s Fugitive Search Unit took 38-year-old Wu Huifu and 48-year-old Li Yong into custody during an operation in Barangay Tambo on Tuesday evening. Li is identified as Wu’s assistant.

The arrests followed information relayed by Chinese authorities, who confirmed both men are subjects of active arrest warrants in China.

BI deputy spokesperson Marvin Mabulac said the two men had been operating multiple overseas online gambling platforms where they allegedly “manipulate betting systems to defraud players.”

This scheme prolonged player activity and increased bets, resulting in estimated profits of 8.6 million Chinese Yuan and victimizing around 500,000 players.

The BI added that Wu had previously worked for a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator firm but remained in the country despite the government’s ban on the industry.