Philippine authorities have arrested a woman at a Manila airport after she was found in possession of forged immigration documents, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Friday.
Melissa Dy Bernados was apprehended by agents from the NBI-International Airport Investigation Division (NBI-IAID) at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 in Pasay City for allegedly violating Article 172 of the Revised Penal Code, which penalizes the falsification of documents by private individuals.
The arrest followed a referral from the NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking (NAIA-TFAT) on May 29, after immigration officials discovered counterfeit border stamps on Dy’s passport and boarding pass.
Investigators said Dy was scheduled to depart for Thailand on May 28 via a Cebu Pacific flight from NAIA Terminal 3. She claimed she had been recruited to work as a customer service representative for an offshore gaming company in Thailand, with a promised salary of PHP 52,000.
Prior to her departure, Dy reportedly received instructions via the messaging app Telegram from a contact identified as “@Ahao” to meet another contact, “@Richard”, outside the OFW lounge at the terminal. According to investigators, “@Richard” took her passport and boarding pass and returned them hours later bearing fabricated Bureau of Immigration Border Stamp (BIBS) No. 1198 marks.
An Immigration officer noticed the departure stamps had already been imprinted before inspection, raising suspicions and prompting further scrutiny. Document examiners later confirmed the stamps were counterfeit.
Following an investigation that concluded Dy had knowingly used the falsified documents to bypass pre-departure immigration checks, the NBI took her into custody.
She was presented for inquest proceedings virtually before the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office on May 30.
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