Travel agency owner held over invalid bookings

A woman’s dream to bring her mother to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico for her 80th birthday was dashed after she was allegedly conned by a travel agency operator.

Based on the charges filed by the complainant whose identity was withheld by the police for security reasons, suspect Arlene Calbonero, owner of Blissful Escapes Travel & Tours, duped her of almost P400,000 worth of travel package including airline tickets.

A report to Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, police district director, said that on Jan. 15, the complainant booked flights for the United States and Mexico for her mother and three siblings.

She told authorities that after she paid Calbonero nearly P250,000 for the roundtrip tickets, the suspect e-mailed the flight details to her.

But a check with the airline website showed that the bookings were invalid. The tourists were supposed to leave on Wednesday.

When confronted, Calbonero demanded an additional P120,000 to pay for the flights. But sensing another attempt of the suspect to divest some more cash, the complainant sought the assistance of the QCPD and an entrapment operation was set in place.

Calbonero was arrested at a cafe on Panay Avenue in Quezon City when she showed up to get the money from the victim.