Mystery tipster in Cebu exposed Bella’s shopping trip

A TIP from Cebu led the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to quickly search for Bella Ruby Santos in SM Megamall in Mandaluyong.

The agency received information about her whereabouts at about 3 p.m., said NBI-7 supervising agent Rennan Augustus Oliva.

The tipster said Santos was in Forever 21, a fashion store, buying assorted clothes.

Special investigator Arnel Pura, who was in Manila on official business, was asked to check it out.

Pura said he spotted Santos in the clothes store with a woman companion, and followed them to a magazine store.

Santos was in a pink tank top and white shorts.

The NBI agent approached her and asked, “Ikaw ba si Bella?”

Santos replied “no” and gave her name as Lara Ebba Gonzales of Davao City.

But she couldn’t show any identification cards with that name.

Pura then brought her to the mall’s security office.

“I haven’t seen Bella personally before. I’ve just seen her pictures in newspapers,” said the agent.

To verify her claim, he then asked NBI colleagues to send him images of Santos through his cell phone.

While he was checking online for photos of her, Santos suddenly admitted her real identity.

NBI-7 Assistant Regional Director Lauro Reyes, who was in Manila, arrived and helped confirm her identity.

With Santos’ arrest is expected a reward of P600,000, which was announced last month by the Cebu provincial government for information leading to her capture on top of a P50,000 reward pooled together by the Cebu police.

But agent Oliva said the NBI won’t reveal the identity of their informant for security purposes.  Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol