Selling ‘stolen beauty products’ turns ugly for 2 in Makati bust

Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation have arrested a driver and a former warehouseman for allegedly selling  hair care products that were earlier stolen from their company.

NBI Special Investigator Abram Geronaga said Romar Geroleo and Cipriano Layco were caught selling Acai Brazilian Blowout hair products at discounted prices at Glorietta 5 mall in Makati City on Monday.

The operation stemmed from a complaint from Beauty Lane Phils., which discovered the loss of items worth more than P2 million in January and suspected its own employees of stealing them.

Beauty Lane hair care expert Ginalyn Tolentino-Fermo said she earlier saw Geroleo in possession of Brazilian Blowout shampoos when she hitched a ride in his delivery vehicle.

Asked why he had the items, Geroleo claimed that they were just surplus items up for delivery and that he was just taking them home in the meantime to avoid problems in the warehouse, Fermo said.

Later this February, a client informed brand manager Mark Quebral that someone was selling the products at a discount. The client gave the seller’s cell phone number to Quebral, who posed as a buyer after seeking the NBI’s help. Erika Sauler