Car rental scam brains out on bail

SAN PEDRO CITY—The suspected mastermind in the multimillion-peso car rental scam was released on Monday after posting a P40,000 bail, according to a report from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) here on Tuesday.

Rafaela Anunciacion, 56, who was linked to the “rent-sangla” scam, was released at 5 p.m. Monday, BJMP said. Anunciacion was arrested by members of the police’s Highway Patrol Group (HPG) in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region on March 2 in one of her houses in Sta. Rosa City in Laguna province and was detained here.

She was arrested based on a warrant issued by Judge Francisco Pano of the Regional Trial Court Branch 93 here for a case of estafa, a bailable offense.

Anunciacion was allegedly behind a scheme patterned after money lending but which involved new vehicles as collateral, said Senior Insp. Myra Novilla, HPG Calabarzon spokesperson.

Police said Anunciacion duped her victims into joining a car rental business but the suspect, in turn, pawned the vehicles to other people.

Aside from Anunciacion, the police tagged car agents Eleanor Rosales, Anastacia Cauyan and Jhennelyn Berroyo as suspects.

Novilla, in a telephone interview, said more than 80 cases of large-scale and syndicated estafa, both nonbailabale offenses, had been filed against the suspects in the Department of Justice and courts in Laguna and Parañaque City. —MARICAR CINCO