Alleged Pogo facility raided in Parañaque; 453 arrested — PAOCC
Authorities shut down an alleged illegal Chinese-run Philippine offshore gaming operator near the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange in an operation on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Photo from the PAOCC)
MANILA, Philippines — Authorities raided and shut down an alleged Chinese-run Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo ) facility and arrested 453 individuals in Parañaque City on Thursday, according to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).
“Initial interview[s] of the arrested foreign nationals indicate an investment scam based on fixed stock exchange trading,” the PAOCC reported Thursday evening.
“Likewise, they also indicate a sport betting scam. They are said to target Chinese and Indian nationals,” the PAOCC added.
Three hundred seven of the arrested suspects are Filipinos, 137 Chinese, three Vietnamese, two Malaysians, two Thais, one Indonesian and one Taiwanese.
According to the PAOCC, the operation stemmed from “report[s] from concerned citizens.”
Elements from the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP CIDG) and the Southern Police District (SPD), Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime (DOJ OOC), Bureau of Immigration (BI) Intelligence Division, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) led the raid.
