“Credit card hacker” and gun maker arrested in operations

CEBU, Philippines - Personnel of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-7 arrested an alleged credit card hacker and confiscated at least 13 firearms from a local gun manufacturer in two separate operations in Cebu over the weekend.

A woman filed a complaint before the office after it appeared that there was a purchase of a plane ticket on her credit card yet she made no such transaction.

CIDG operatives were able to trace the flight schedule of the holder of the ticket. The ticket was purchased under a woman’s name and on the scheduled date of the flight, the police cornered her at the airport.

Upon investigation, she told police officers that she purchased the ticket through a certain Jerwin Minglanilla, but she had no idea of his activities.

Armed with a warrant of arrest, CIDG-7 went to Minglanilla’s residence in Barangay Tisa where he was arrested past 9 a.m. on Monday. 

Minglanilla was previously arrested in 2012 after he allegedly hacked a physician’s credit card and used it for almost P72,000 worth of plane ticket purchases.

Meanwhile, in a separate operation, CIDG-7 personnel confiscated a total of ten firearms in Barangay Suba, Danao City.

Edmundo Loyloy Castro, eluded arrest after his house was raided by CIDG personnel in Lapu-Lapu St., Barangay Suba, Danao City past 12 noon on Sunday.

A CIDG decoy went inside the suspect’s house to have his gun repaired while other operatives positioned themselves near the area after the pre-arranged signal was made by the decoy.

Castro sensed that he was being cornered and quickly ran away using the back door.

CIDG operatives seized several firearms inside his residence including 10 caliber 45 pistols with 12 magazines; a 9mm ingram machine pistol; a 357 revolver pistol; a 9mm revolver black widow and one hundred assorted ammunitions.

Superintendent Fermin Armendarez, CIDG-7 deputy chief, said after they heard Castro’s illegal activities in Danao City they quickly planned the operation.

Armendarez said Castro is an expert not only in making guns but also in fixing old guns.

Armendarez said they will be filing charges for violation of R.A. 9165 even if Castro was not arrested during the raid.- /ATO  (FREEMAN)