2 of 6 suspects who duped trader of P1.1M arrested

POLICE arrested on Friday two of the six suspects who duped a businesswoman of P1.1 million cash and jewelry on Agton Street, Toril, Davao City.

Editha Sumilig Mangas, 53, was slain in shootout of San Roque, Daliao, was made to believe by the six suspects that they sell fertilizer products in Crossing Bayabas. The victim bought the fake fertilizer products for P900,000 and left her jewelry worth P200,000 to the suspects.

Senior Inspector Dionisio Escubañez, chief of the Toril police station, identified the two suspects as Johary Uy Nandang and his wife Theresa Bamoong Nandang, both residents of Block 7, Lot 16, Samantha Homes in Catalunan Grande.

Escubañez said the suspects were arrested around 2 p.m. in their house through their follow up operation. The victim positively identified the two suspects as among the six men who duped her on June 26.

Initial investigation showed the victim was looking for a store of fertilizer products when she was approached by an unidentified woman and a male companion who told her that they sell fertilizer products in Crossing Bayabas.

The victim, who believed the two suspects, rode on a tricycle with them bound for the supposed store. Upon arrival in Crossing Bayabas, the man left for a few minutes and returned with another two men and a woman on board a Toyota Tamaraw FX.

One of the two men introduced himself as a driver, and the other man as a fertilizer agent, while the woman as the secretary of a fertilizer company.

One of the suspects asked the victim if she had available cash to purchase the products but the latter said the money was at her house.

The victim then invited the group to accompany her to the house to get her bank passbook.

With her bank passbook on hand, the suspects were not convinced that it was hers so told her to withdraw cash from the bank.

The three female suspects went with the victim to a bank along Saavedra Street to withdraw P900,000. When the four women returned back to the vehicle, one of the six suspects instructed her to place the cash and her jewelry worth P200,000 in a color pink bag.

When they reached the national highway, the victim was told to disembark from the vehicle and wait for the fertilizer supplier manager to deliver the fertilizers. The products were delivered to her but she arrived home and opened the bag it contained a bundle of papers.

The two suspects are detained at Toril Police Station.