4 arrested, charged for robbing minor of P20K through text scam in Digos City

DIGOS CITY, Philippines—Police authorities here filed charges against four persons who allegedly robbed a minor of P20,000 through a text scam.

Superintendent Querubin Manalang, the city police chief, said Wednesday that complaints for at least six counts of estafa and violation of the anti-child abuse law were filed against Alfredo Wenceslao, Bernardino Lachavez, Jhandy Canuto and Myrna Simon at the City Prosecutor’s Office here.

The four suspects were arrested on Tuesday in the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) in Davao del Norte province in an entrapment operation conducted by the city police in coordination with the local police.

A money transfer trail had led the police to the location of the suspects, after Sarah, 17, (not her real name) lodged a complaint at the Digos City police.

Sarah told investigators that she received a text message purportedly coming from an official of a brewery company, which announced that she won P650,000 (not P560,000 as earlier reported), in a nationwide lottery using cell phone numbers.

The 17-year-old college student, who hails from a poor family, was convinced she indeed won a lottery and sent over P20,000 to the suspects to process the release of her “prize.” The suspects were apparently known in Igacos as members of the “Hello Garci” syndicate.

But after repeated demands for her to send more money, purportedly to fix a tax evasion case the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) had supposedly filed against her, Sarah sought the help of the police.

While at the police station here, a caller who introduced herself as “BIR Commissioner Kim Henares” called up and tried to convince her to send P26,000 to “fix the tax evasion” case.

With the approval of the police, Manalang said Sarah sent another P200 to determine the location of the caller, which was traced in Igacos.

The caller was identified as Simon, who was later arrested at the Igacos branch of a money transfer service.

The arrest of the other suspects followed and they were all hauled here for the filing of the charges.

The city prosecutor’s office was expected to forward the case to the Regional Trial Court here anytime soon.

Manalang said the suspects would remain in the custody of the Digos police until the issuance of a court order on where to detain them.

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