* CIDG Lapu-Lapu City arrested Epifania Faciol Lucero in Consolacion, Cebu, for allegedly selling a P40 million Carcar City land parcel that she did not legitimately own.
* The complainant discovered Lucero reportedly sold the land to someone else, while a DENR certification revealed the property's Free Patent Application under her name was never officially awarded.
* Operatives arrested Lucero during an entrapment operation for alleged estafa, detaining the regional top six wanted person under CIDG 7 custody.
A WOMAN who posed as a businesswoman was arrested by personnel of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Lapu-Lapu City Field Unit for allegedly selling a piece of land worth P40 million.
Epifania Faciol Lucero, alias Fanny, 58, a widow and resident of Barangay Palanas, Ronda, was nabbed at Five E Plastic in Sitio Libo, Barangay Tayud, Consolacion, Cebu, at around 2:45 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Lucero was arrested after a complainant accused her of selling a parcel of land in Proper Bonsai, Barangay Bolinawan, Carcar City, for P40 million. The complainant, who intended to purchase the property, said a substantial amount had already been paid as a down payment.
However, the complainant later learned that the property had allegedly been sold to another person. Despite this, Lucero reportedly presented documents stating that the property had not been sold to anyone else and was still registered under her name.
Suspicious of the transaction, the complainant went to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-City Environment and Natural Resources Office to verify the ownership and status of the property, including the authenticity of the documents presented by Lucero.
Based on a certification issued by the DENR, the property was covered by a Free Patent Application under Lucero’s name. However, the government had not yet awarded the property to her.
The CIDG Lapu-Lapu City, in coordination with the Consolacion Municipal Police Station, then conducted an entrapment operation that led to Lucero’s arrest for alleged estafa under Article 315, Paragraph 2 (D) of the Revised Penal Code.
Lucero was listed No. 6 on the regional wanted person list and is currently under the custody of CIDG 7. / AYB
