Engineer nabbed for bullets in luggage

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – An engineer based in Manila, who was in this city for a water project, was arrested on Friday morning at the Davao City International Airport after two 9mm bullets were reportedly found in his luggage.

Augusto Dagan of the JV Angeles Construction Corp., was on his way back to Manila when he was apprehended by airport security officers.

Dagan arrived in the city on Thursday and stayed overnight to attend to a water project.

Davao airport security group chief Col. John Esteban told The STAR that the bullets were discovered during an initial X-ray of Dagan’s luggage.

“Our X-ray operator saw the bullets and waited for the owner to pick up the luggage, which turned out to be Dagan,” Esteban said.

He said Dagan was immediately arrested and turned over to the police station.

The engineer was released in the afternoon of same day after posting a P120,000 bail.

Dagan denied having carried the bullet.

The news about the “laglag-bala” or bullet planting extortion scam recently hogged the headlines after a series of similar incidents victimizing a balikbayan, a tourist and an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), among others, occurred at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.

The scam was first revealed when a balikbayan on a wheelchair narrated on social media how some airport personnel accused her of carrying bullets in her baggage.

She said the airport personnel asked her to give them P500 so she would no longer be held and investigated.

This was followed by incidents victimizing a departing Japanese tourist and an OFW.

The incidents have caused fear, especially among OFWs, who are expected to arrive home for the holidays.