4 held for syndicated estafa in Bataan
FOUR men involved in the large-scale sale of land using fake Transfer Certificates of Title (TCT) in some parts of Central Luzon on Saturday were arrested by agents of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in an entrapment operation in Orani, Bataan, a report to PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco D. Marbil said yesterday.
PNP-CIDG director Brig. Gen. Nicolas D. Torre III said the suspects, two of whom were identified only through their aliases “Aprilyn and Junie,” will be facing criminal charges for syndicated estafa under Presidential Decree 1689 in relation to Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code.
He added that three other suspects remain at-large and are still being hunted as of press time.
According to the official, the suspects were arrested by members of the CIDG Regional Field Unit 3 during a sting in Bgy. Parang-Parang in Orani municipality around 11:30 a.m. last Saturday.
Torre said his men launched the sting following a complaint from a victim, described only as “Kimberly,” who reported that the suspects initially got P1 million from her as down payment for a parcel of land in Subic, Zambales.
The suspects later demanded an additional P2 million from the complainan,t who got suspicious she was being defrauded by the group. Her suspicions became true when a check showed that the TCT presented to her by the suspects was a fake document.
Recovered from the suspects during the sting were the P1 million worth of boodle money topped by a marked P1,000 bill and different counterfeit public documents including a national ID and other government IDs.
All suspects are now under the custody of the Bataan CIDG Provincial Field Unit.
In the wake of the arrest of the four, Torre again called on the public to remain vigilant against similar fraudulent schemes and to promptly report any suspicious activities to the nearest CIDG office.
“We are sending a strong message to those who exploit others through deceitful means. The CIDG will not rest until justice is served,” he said, adding that other members of the group are still being tracked down.
