By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Bacolod is investigating the scheme of an alleged syndicate that sells rented cars to unwitting victims.
The modus was uncovered following the apprehension of a woman in an entrapment operation inside a shopping mall here over the weekend.
Chief Master Sergeant Ramiro Gocotano, chief investigator of CIDG-Bacolod, said Marivic Sanusi, 49, of Manapla, Negros Occidental is facing charges for robbery extortion, falsification of public documents, and estafa.
Sanusi allegedly pretended to be the owner of a Toyota Hilux that her group rented and sold to a client in Iloilo for PHP220,000, Gocotano said.
Gocotano said Sanusi’s group rented the vehicle here for five days, and extended it for another 10 days, until she could no longer be reached by the owner when the lease expired.
It prompted the owner of the vehicle to proceed to Iloilo to find the suspect through the car’s GPS.
“When the car rental operator found the vehicle, they were told by Sanusi’s “client” that the car was already sold to her after the suspect introduced herself as the real owner by showing three fake Identification (ID) cards,” Gocotano said.
Gocotano said the real owner took back the vehicle after her conversation with the victim.
The victim asked help from the CIDG after the suspect demanded the PHP50,000 balance of the car sale. The sting operation was launched in coordination with Police Station 1 on January 31.
Authorities seized from Sanusi the PHP1,000 marked money, boodle or fake money used in the entrapment, fake IDs, and cellular phone.
Gocotano said other complainants appeared at the CIDG office after Sanusi’s arrest.
But she was released from police custody after one of the witnesses failed to submit an affidavit for the inquest proceedings.
Gocotano said charges for falsification of documents and estafa will also be filed against Sanusi’s three companions.
All cases will be filed on regular filing, he added.
