CEBU, Philippines - A suspected swindler was arrested for allegedly trying to trick Cebu City Police Office director Melvin Ramon Buenafe into buying heavy equipment after he mistook the latter for a Japanese businessman.
Jonathan Garay of Mandaue City was first invited for questioning last Friday after he introduced himself to Buenafe as a sales representative from an industrial company that sells heavy equipment during the opening of a casino at a hotel along Osmeña Boulevard. Buenafe was among those invited to the event.
Buenafe ignored Garay at first but the latter kept on annoying him, prompt ing the CCPO director to order a background investigation on the suspect. Buenafe became suspicious of Garay because the latter kept on asking for his calling card.
After the event, Buenafe invited Garay and brought him to the Cebu City Police Office. It was then that the suspect realized that he was talking not to a Japanese businessman, as he initially thought, but to a police official.
“I ordered our investigators to check his identity when we brought him at CCPO, there he realized that I was a policeman,” Buenafe said.
During background investigation, they discovered that Garay had an existing estafa case before the Regional Trial Court. Garay is presently out on bail.
The police also recovered several fake police identification cards from the suspect.
Investigation and Detective Management Branch chief Bonifacio Garciano said that the suspect’s modus is to pose as middleman between a company and his would-be victims.
Aside from Buenafe, Garay also met two other police officers at the pier area last Friday.
PO1s Chona Lugo and Charlotte Los Baños of the CCPO claimed they were approached by Garay who introduced himself as a member of the Philippine Coast Guard.
The two police officers said they were on their way to board a ferry boat for Lapu-Lapu City when Garay questioned them for carrying firearms.
“Gi-sita dayon mi niya sa among mga dala nga pusil, but mi-ingon ra ko nga we’re on our GOA uniform so walay question kun magdala mi og armas,” Lugo told The FREEMAN.
Garay reportedly asked their names before they were allowed to leave.
“Amo na lang sad gi-hatagan sa among mga pangan kay nagdali man mi,” Lugo said.
According to Lugo, Garay was probably planning to confiscate their guns.
The two policewomen were called to report to CCPO yesterday after their names were found on the list of names that Garay wrote on a piece of paper that police seized from him.
The police are now preparing criminal charges against Garay. These include usurpation of authority and concealing true name. — /FPL (FREEMAN)