Authorities arrested a man accused of defrauding a transport network vehicle service operator of millions of pesos by claiming he could activate their drivers’ transport network company accounts, during an entrapment operation in Barangay Cembo, Taguig City, on Monday, June 9, 2025. (Photo from the PNP HPG)
MANILA, Philippines — A man was arrested for allegedly defrauding a transport network vehicle service (TNVS) operator of millions of pesos by claiming he could activate their drivers’ transport network company (TNC) accounts.
The arrest resulted from an entrapment operation in Barangay Cembo, Taguig City, on Monday evening, Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP HPG) spokesperson Lt. Nadame Malang said in an interview with reporters at Camp Crame on Wednesday.
Malang identified the suspect as alias “Khart.”
In the same interview, Quezon City-based TNVS operator Wilfredo Sicio said Khart introduced himself as an affiliate of the TNC in late 2024.
“For the applying client to start making trips, they’d have to pay P15,000. Around 100 people paid directly to him in my office,” Sicio explained in Filipino.
He further explained that while the TNVS drivers’ accounts were initially activated on the TNC’s platform, they were deactivated by the first week of January.
“They left us in the air. They had us do a lot. They had us meet. They had us go to him in groups of 10. It never came, until the time that he just stopped reaching out,” he said in Filipino.
“I found out from the drivers that they’re being texted and asked to pay another P35,000 so they can go back to making trips,” he added.
Sicio said he and his group paid a total of P1.7 million for the suspect’s supposed fees.
One of the TNVS drivers, Fernan Delos Reyes, said he convinced Khart to meet up with him to hand over an additional fee, which is when authorities carried out the entrapment operation.
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Alleged insider
According to Sicio, when several drivers requested a refund of the P15,000 they had supposedly paid for their applications, Khart claimed the money had already been transferred to a TNC employee.
The HPG requested that the identity of the TNC personnel be withheld, as he is the subject of a follow-up operation.
“The one being sought after, they’re really the one with the connection there. I’m only the one passing the clients to them. They’re the ones working on the activation,” Khart said when interviewed while detained at the HPG custodial facility.
The suspect further claimed that, of the P15,000 paid per head, he kept P2,000 as commission and gave the remainder to the TNC employee.
Malang said the PNP HPG is coordinating with the TNC and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board regarding the alleged accomplice.
According to Malang, 13 complainants are preparing to file a case of swindling (estafa) against the suspect, while police are in talks with 15 more potential complainants.
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“We are still targeting that he be tried for large-scale estafa,” Malang added.
The PNP HPG spokesperson also appealed to other possible victims to come forward and file a complaint against the suspect./mcm