I’M referring to the ongoing operations by the PNP Highway Patrol Group headed by my friend, Brigadier General Rommel Marbil to neutralize glib-tongued members of syndicates involved in so-called ‘Rent-Sangla, Rent-Tangay’ scheme which continue to victimize Filipinos to date.

Last Sunday, members of the HPG Special Operations Division-Task Force Limbas struck anew and arrested two women involved in the modus operandi as well as a purported multi-million investment scam, one of them identified as the ex-wife of PBA star Terrence Romeo, I was told.

HPG SOD-Task Force Limbas chief, Lieutenant Colonel Joel Ana told me that news of the arrest of Beatrice Pia White alias ‘Janelle M. Consunji’ and Efcel Nonay Reyes alias ‘Christine Martinez’ literally spread like a wildfire and prompted dozens of people claiming to have been victimized by the duo to rush to their headquarters in Camp Crame to file formal criminal complaints against the two.

Ana said that dozens of complainants who flocked to their office have accused White and Reyes of involvement in the highly-fraudulent Cash Investment Networking Multi-Level Marketing of Aurea Organica International based in Q.C. The company said to have been set up by the duo in December 2020 was accused of gypping some 700 network members of an estimated P80 million, he added.

The sheer number of people who have accused the two of involvement in an investment scam and even identity theft prompted the HPG to refer the complainants to the anti-fraud division of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

What the HPG SOD-Task Force Limbas is doing at present is investigate the involvement of the duo to the technical carnapping scheme and possibly recover more motor vehicles they have acquired from their past victims in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions and as far as Cebu City and Mindanao, Brig. Gen. Marbil told me.

The duo was placed under arrest during an entrapment operation in Sta. Mesa, Manila triggered by a complaint from rent-a-car operator Manuelito Larin. It turned out that the duo demanded P80,000 from Larin in exchange for the return of his 2019 model Mitsubishi Mirage with conduction sticker B4W178.

An investigation showed that the suspects rented the car from the complainant but failed to return the vehicle on the agreed date and instead demanded money from the latter or he will not get his sedan anymore. Lt. Col. Ana told me that they have found out that the two suspects have ‘sold’ the car to one of their fences identified only as ‘Christopher L.’ of Quezon City.

When interviewed, Larin said he decided to post the suspect’s fraudulent activity on FB Market Place after the duo demanded money from him in exchange for the return of his car. Another person who was also victimized by the two contacted him and they both decided to seek the assistance of Brig. Gen. Marbil in going after the duo.

Congratulations are in order for the team of Lt. Col. Ana, Major Bienvenido Probadora Jr. and Captain Jayson Galimba who worked tirelessly to identify and entrap the two. The PNP-HPG said that the two are among the ‘pretty and glamorous-looking women’ who have been recruited and trained by veteran carnapping syndicates to lure potential victims of their phony rental agreements, the so-called ‘Assume Balance’ sale agreement and loan accommodation agreements.

Once the syndicate gets possession of the motor vehicles, they will sell or pawn the vehicles to their other contacts or victims under the ‘Talon’ scheme using fraudulent documents.

A number of similar ‘Rent-Tangay/Sangla, Pasalo-Benta, Labas-Casa-Talong’ schemes have been investigated by the PNP-HPG in the past. These fraudulent schemes have actually replaced the traditional practice of car thieves to steal vehicles at gunpoint or thru intimidation or steal motor vehicles in their parking areas.

Brig. Gen. Marbil told me that two other persons identified as Judith Liao and John Ferdinand Ragma have positively identified the duo as the same car renters who managed to steal their vehicles using falsified identification cards and papers. Both complainants said that just like in the case of Larin, the suspects failed to return their vehicles after their rental agreement expired.

Last Sunday, Ragma’s Toyota Avanza was recovered by the HPG agents inside the Fisher Mall parking area in Quezon City. A Hyundai Kona also owned by Ragma was recovered by the PNP-HPG men near a house being rented by the suspects in Tamarind Street in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Now being held at the SOD-Task Force Limbas lock-up facility, the two suspects have been inquested for robbery-extortion under Article 294 of the Revised Penal Code and Article 178 of the RPC otherwise known as ‘using fictitious name and concealing true name’ and violation of Section 4 or ‘concealment of carnapping’ under Republic Act 10883 of the New Anti-Carnapping Law of the Philippines before the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office.

I would also like to commend the victims who were unafraid to show their faces when they filed a complaint against the duo. The same act of bravery should be emulated by hundreds of people believed to have fallen prey to the said fraudulent scheme over the past years.

As I have said before, the PNP-HPG really needs all the help they need from the public and other law enforcement agencies and government regulators to stop the ‘Rent-Sangla/Rent-Tangay’ scheme. The reality is that the confidence trick being applied by syndicates to steal motor vehicles from other persons now pose a major headache to the PNP-HPG and other law enforcement agencies.

This time, no gun or force or intimidation is applied on the victims but they are merely tricked by glib-tongued scammers and lured by the promise of easy money. Under the infamous rent-mortgage scam, owners of cars, wagons and SUVs would eventually discover that they have fallen victim to fraudulent promises of rental income, their vehicles gone or mortgaged or sold to different persons without their knowledge.

The scheme is so easy to detect and involves people who have acquired their vehicles thru bank loans. Once they are spotted by the syndicate, a glib-tongue scammer would offer to hire the vehicles, say for P30,000 to P40,000 a month, the amount enough to pay the vehicle’s monthly amortization and give the registered owner a few thousands more.

However, after two or three months, the victims would find their vehicles gone, sold to other persons with the use of fraudulent papers with the bank going after them. The people who bought the vehicles also never learn. Despite repeated reminders by the PNP-HPG, there are some people out there who will still pay for vehicles being sold way beyond their prevailing market price. Once they are intercepted in the streets, the 2nd victims would find themselves losing the vehicle without anything in return.

PNP-HPG directors from the time of former PNP head, now retired Gen. Dindo Espina and later, Brig. Gen. Tony Gardiola and now PNP chief, Gen. Dionards Carlos discovered that the syndicate was using their contacts from the bank, mostly credit investigators to help approve the car loan of poor market, ‘taho or puto’ vendors. The syndicate pays the applicants some money in order to apply for the car loan. Once the vehicle is released, it won’t be given to the applicant but sold to other people.

Another former PNP-HPG director, now retired Brig. Gen. Bong Fajardo had told me that some rogue police and Land Transportation Office personnel during his time were monitored for conniving with groups involved in the ‘Rent-Sangla, Rent-Tangay’ scheme.

Fajardo said that the suspects are known for facilitating the transfer of stolen vehicle to another owner thru the use of spurious LTO registration papers. Last year, some 60 ‘Rent-Tangay’ victims sought the help of the Department of Justice in investigating their cases.

Last year, the PNP-HPG warned anew the public to be wary of a car theft ring whose members are using the online FB Market Site to sell ‘total wreck vehicles’ which actually are stolen SUVs, cars or wagons. This has to be stopped.