Couple lure scam victim with ‘cash-burning ritual’

Luring victims with a “ritual” that involves burning cash to supposedly attract good fortune, a Nigerian national and his Filipino girlfriend are facing criminal charges in Pasay City for estafa and possession of fake dollar bills.

Johnson Olu Akinbode, 57, and Lorna Palumano, 52, have undergone inquest proceedings following their arrest on Friday afternoon at Midas Hotel based on the complaint of Paula Edna Meñez, a 36-year-old businesswoman from Las Piñas City.

Case investigator SPO3 Catalino Gazmen Jr. said the suspects earlier asked for $400 from Meñez to serve as an “offering” in a ritual intended to increase her money and expand her business.

Inside the hotel room and in the presence of the complainant, the suspects placed the $400 in an envelope which they burned in a bowl while uttering a prayer.

They later asked the victim to go to a moneychanger, convert $100 into pesos and distribute the money to beggars around the hotel.

Meñez said she became suspicious when the suspects asked for an additional $500 upon her return to the hotel room.

She informed a friend about her situation through text message and the suspects were subsequently arrested by policemen alerted to the scheme.

The police later found 30 fake $100 bills in the suspects’ bag. —ERIKA SAULER AND ERMA EDERA