Police arrested a 40-year-old man wanted for syndicated illegal recruitment at his rented house in Mexico, Pampanga, after authorities tracked him down with the help of one of his alleged victims.

The suspect was initially served one arrest warrant, but police later discovered he had 29 more outstanding warrants for the same offense, all of which were also served.

Project 4 Police Station Commander PLt. Col. Geoffrey Lim said the suspect had been hiding in Pampanga and was using a different identity to avoid arrest.

"Itong suspek po natin, ayon sa ating information, ay nagtatago sa bandang Pampanga. So upon verification, na-confirm natin na 'yung tao nga ay nandoon, pero kaya hindi nahuhuli because gumagamit po siya ng ibang identity, ibang pangalan ang ginagamit niya," he said.

Police said the suspect allegedly victimized around 1,700 people from 2023 to 2025.

Investigators said the victims were promised jobs in Europe as skilled workers. However, after paying placement fees, none of them were able to leave for work abroad.

Lim said the suspect allegedly pressured applicants to pay quickly by claiming only a few job slots remained.

"Ito naman po ating mga biktima, sa kagustuhan nilang makaalis agad, makapunta sa ibang bansa, pumapayag na po sila kasi ang style niya, sinasabi niya konting slot na lang ang natitira. So para ma-prioritize kayo, you have to give a certain amount, which is pinaka-minimum na hinihingi niya ay P80,000, at meron ding nakapagbigay ng hanggang P300,000," he said.

The suspect denied being the mastermind and said he was only an employee of the recruitment agency who dealt directly with applicants.

"Ako ay nasangkot sa napakaraming kaso ng illegal recruitment at ako ay nagpapasalamat dahil ako ay nahuli dahil gusto ko talagang harapin ito, para rin sa mga aplikante at para malaman ang katotohanan. Kung ano lang 'yung sinasabi ng management, 'yun lang din ang ginagawa ko. Naiintindihan ko maraming galit sa akin kasi ako ang humaharap sa kanila at ako 'yung nag-u-update ng status nila, nothing less. That's all," the suspect said.

According to police, the recruitment agency where the suspect worked had its license revoked in January 2026.

Authorities also found that the suspect had previously been arrested in connection with rape and estafa cases.

Police have already returned the served warrants to the court and are awaiting a commitment order for the suspect's detention.

(with reports from Unang Balita)