By Jennifer P. Rendon
A man posing as a fixer for driver’s license was arrested in an entrapment operation early morning of May 13 in Estancia, Iloilo.
Worse, Polen Villaruz, 37, a resident of Barangay Jolog Estancia, had been issuing fake driver’s licenses to his clients.
Members of Estancia Police Station, together with personnel from the Land Transportation Office 6 (LTO-6), and Maritime Police Station, arrested Villaruz at the Feeder Port in Barangay Poblacion Zone 2, Estancia,
Executive Master Sergeant Paul Torreto, Estancia police investigator, said Villaruz had been working as a middleman between fish brokers and purchasers at the feeder port.
But several reports claimed that he also issued professional driver’s license for P5,000 to P6,000 per client.
Torreto said they flagged down several riders who were found to be possessing fake driver’s license.
There was also one complainant who claimed to have availed of Villaruz’s services for a driver’s license but he received a fake card.
“We traced these fake licenses to the suspect,” Torrero said. “That’s why, we contracted him to avail of a driver’s license.”
When arrested, Villaruz yielded a brown wallet containing P200 marked money and P2,500 boodle or fake money, seven fake licenses, two fake driver’s license official receipts, 13 money transfer receipts, and two mobile phones.
Police also seized from him four sachets of suspected shabu.
Torreto said Villaruz is not on their watchlist of illegal drug personalities. However, police are not discounting the possibility that he is also into the illegal drug trade.
Villaruz is now detained and will be charged accordingly.
