‘Dugo-dugo’ gang sells accident line to salesman’s helper, steals P5M

MANILA, Philippines – An elderly salesman on Friday lost a steel safe containing around P5 million in cash and jewelry to con artists who duped his household help into believing he had figured in an accident in Quezon City and was in urgent need of a large amount of money, police said Saturday.
Aloysius Ng, 62, said his helper was conned by a female caller who instructed the maid to deliver the safe to a grocery store as Ng had figured in an accident and could not fetch the money himself.

Investigator Police Officer 2 Rhic Pittong said the steel safe contained a number of wristwatches, documents and cash in foreign currencies amounting to P5 million.

Only house helper Myrna Patabang was at Ng’s house in Loyola Grand Villas, Barangay (village) Pansol, when the phone rang at 2 p.m.  Ng was away at work as a salesman for Dowell Packaging.

The helper claimed the female caller introduced herself as Ng’s wife, Yolanda, and told her she and her husband had figured in a traffic accident and needed a large amount of money to settle with the other party. Ahe said she was convinced it was Ng’s wife on the other end of line.

Patabang said she was told by the caller to look for the steel safe and take it to SM Hypermart in Monumento, Caloocan City, where someone would be waiting for them.

The helper and a companion, Nichele Relova, did as they were told and took the safe to Caloocan City where a woman named Catherine took it.

Patabang said they were told to wait for the Ngs to fetch them, but after 30 minutes of waiting, their female employer called them to ask where they were.

The real Mrs. Ng told the helper that she and her husband were both safe and that they were not involved in any vehicular accident.

It was then that the helper realized that she had been duped, Pittong said.

 
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