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Sunday, March 07, 2004
4 Turkish nationals nabbed for swindling
By Gigie A. Agtay
* Suspects positively identified by several victims
* Modus operandi known as "reman" wherein suspects request the cashier to change big amount of bills to smaller denominations; while cashier is busy attending to fake customer, companions will start stealing store items
FOUR Turkish nationals, including a woman allegedly involved in a string of swindling activities in Davao City, were arrested while trying to dupe a cashier of a pet shop in Buhangin, Davao City, Friday afternoon.
The Buhangin police identified the suspects as Aliye Horuz, 44; Hakan Sarpkaya, 23; Ozel Velit, 32; while the woman was identified as Liran Erlan, 42, all residing near Seaside Resort, Toril, Davao city.
The arrest came after warnings were aired by Police Regional Office 11 director Isidro Lapeña against Hindu-looking persons involved in swindling activities.
Lapeña said the modus operandi of these swindlers is known as "reman" wherein the suspects will request the cashier to change a bigger amount of bills into smaller denominations. While the cashier is busy attending to the "customer", his companions will start stealing store items.
Police records showed the suspects went to the Pet Store at around 5:10 p.m. and requested the cashier to change P1,000 and P500 bills to P100 bills as they would bring it to Turkey as souvenir items.
An unidentified employee of Pet Store, suspecting something was awry, called for police assistance, which resulted in the suspects' arrest.
Recovered from the suspects' possession were a white Daewoo car with plate number TNP 347, one unit Nokia 8250, one unit Panasonic GD 55, and a Panasonic camera.
Police said only Huruz and Sarpkaya were able to present their passports.
Police added that the suspects victimized the Petron gas station in Tigatto earlier on the same day.
At the police station, three victims positively identified Sarpkaya and Horuz as the ones who duped them on separate incidents.
According to victim Bernandita Mansueto, cashier of Davao Express Hardware along Bajada, Sarpkaya and Horuz victimized them at around 7 p.m. of Feb. 9.
Another victim Jocelyn Ubaldo, cashier of NCCC Mall in Matina, this city, positively identified Sarpkaya as the one who carted away P16,900 cash from her cash register at around 3 p.m. of Feb. 4.
Ubaldo said Sarpkaya, who was with a woman and girl, brought four cans of coke to her counter for payment. She said Sarpkaya deviated her attention from the cash register and did not notice that the suspect had already stolen from her.
The third victim, Roy Rivera, manager of Petron gas station in Panabo City, said they were victimized by Sarpkaya and Horuz at around 8:22 p.m. of Feb. 19.
He positively identified the Nokia 8250 with serial number 3606033066 recovered from Huroz as the one stolen from his office.
Rivera earlier provided police with photographs of the suspects from camera footages at the gas station.
The suspects were brought to the investigation section of the Davao City Police Office while waiting for filing of swindling charges against them.
(March 7, 2004 issue)
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