Nueva Ecija cops arrest 4 scam suspects

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija — The Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office (NEPPO) has arrested four individuals involved in an online scam amounting to P809,500 in Barangay Burnay, Talavera, on 19 January, 2025.

According to NEPPO Director Police Colonel Ferdinand D. Germino, the incident occurred around 1:20 a.m. in the aforementioned barangay.

The complainant, Renz Cezar Cordova, 32, co-owner of G Racing and a resident of Barangay MS Garcia, Cabanatuan City, reported the scam to authorities. Cordova alleged that the primary suspect, a 24-year-old male, posed as a buyer and reseller of motor parts.

The suspect placed an order for motor parts worth P809,500 and provided a falsified online transaction slip as proof of payment. Trusting the authenticity of the slip, Cordova arranged for the motor parts to be delivered via a Lalamove driver.

It wasn’t until Cordova verified with his bank that he discovered no payment had been made, and the transaction slip was fraudulent. Realizing he had been scammed, Cordova sought help from the Talavera Police Station, who quickly responded and set up an entrapment operation.

The operation led to the arrest of four suspects: a 25-year-old male and a 22-year-old female, both from Barangay Burnay, a 28-year-old male from Barangay San Pascual and another male of legal age from the same barangay in Talavera.

The suspects were apprehended in possession of the motor parts during the operation, but the primary suspect managed to escape and is now the subject of a manhunt.

The successful entrapment operation was carried out through coordination between Cordova, the Talavera Police Station, and the Lalamove delivery driver.

The four suspects, along with the one still at large, will face charges of Syndicated Estafa, with no bail recommended.