MANILA, Philippines -- Quezon City Police District (QCPD) operatives arrested a computer engineer who had allegedly duped several people of more than P10 million after promising them jobs in Italy and other parts of Europe.

Samuel Tabora, 57, was arrested at his house in Novaliches, Quezon City around 3 p.m. Sunday on the strength of a warrant for a case of large scale estafa (fraud) and illegal recruitment, said Superintendent Constante Agpaoa, QCPD Station 11 commander.

Agpaoa said the suspect had gone into hiding after his victims filed a criminal case against him for failing to deliver on his promise to find them employment abroad.

“This man had been in hiding since 2004. So when we received information that he was staying in a house in Novaliches, I immediately sent my men to collar him,” Agpaoa said

He said Tabora started his alleged operation in 1999 and had recruited at least 15 persons, mostly from Batangas and Nueva Ecija provinces.

“After collecting money from his victims, the suspect will quickly vanish. He would resurface in other towns to victimize others who also want to work overseas,” Agpaoa said.

Agpaoa called on individuals who had fallen victim to Tabora to go to their station in Batasan, Quezon City to help them with their investigation.

He said two of the suspect’s victims had already showed up to identify the suspect.