THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 assured victims of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) skimming that they will build a strong case against the three arrested Romanians.
“We are still gathering the documents. Hopefully, we can do the inquest on Monday (today),” said lawyer Patricio Bernales, NBI 7 director.
To help them in the filing of charges, retired Judge Meinrado Paredes, who was among those who lost a large amount of money to skimmers, said that he will draft his affidavit.
“I will personally prosecute them. It’s possible to file three cases against them,” Paredes said.
He will meet with officials of the LandBank of the Philippines (LBP) today to discuss the filing of charges against the Romanians.
Paredes said that aside from filing a complaint for violating Republic Act 8484, or the use of an access device for fraudulent acts, a complaint of estafa can also be filed against the three foreigners who were believed to be behind the skimming operation.
“If proven that they used our money to purchase something in the department store, maybe, it’s already a case of estafa,” he said.
Alexandru Mitrache, 32, Costel Ion, 31, and Razvan Aurelian Stancu were arrested last Friday afternoon through a search warrant issued by Judge Generosa Labra of Regional Trial Court Branch 23.
Agents confiscated 45 micro scanner chips, two laptops, the caps they allegedly wore during the skimming incident and a polo captured on the bank’s close-circuit television (CCTV) footage.
Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, however, is asking for a thorough investigation on the matter as there may be more suspects involved in skimming.
Tumulak, who is deputy mayor for police matters, said that none of the three Romanian suspects apprehended by NBI 7 reportedly matched the culprit caught on the security camera from an establishment in Banilad last year.
“The authorities together with the Bureau of Immigration 7, Cebu Bankers’ Club and the technical personnel of the banks should conduct a more thorough investigation. I think there’s a bigger syndicate operating here,” he said.
Tumulak said that the culprit in the footage, who is also believed to be a Romanian national, reportedly withdraws from different ATMs in the city using an LBP account.
Tumulak pointed out the need for a further investigation, saying that the arrested suspects could afford to pay the P20,000 bail and that their cohorts may continue to skim ATMs.