4 Cameroon men arrested for scam in Quezon City

MANILA, Philippines — Four tourists from Cameroon who allegedly duped people of their money were arrested in Quezon City on Wednesday.

Bame Jacob, 42; Ogie Oscar Mbang, 48; Tangang Yannick Ndare, 27; and Aly Camara, 33, were arrested in an entrapment operation at the parking lot of a mall on North EDSA at around 7:30 p.m.

They are facing charges of estafa and illegal possession and use of false treasury or bank notes and other instruments of credit.

“I have directed our investigators to check their records at the Bureau of Immigration. We need to verify their passports,” Director Camilo Cascolan, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, said in a news briefing yesterday.

Michael Amungwa,42, also a Cameroonian, and Ma. Ruby Verzosa, a 55-year-old Filipina, were arrested at the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) headquarters yesterday after they reportedly tried to bribe policemen with P200,000 to release the suspects.

Amungwa denied they were bribing police officers and insisted the money is for a police clearance.

According to QCPD director Chief Superintendent Joselito Esquivel Jr., four people complained that they were duped into investing P300,000 in a money-making scheme involving the use of a chemical to produce counterfeit dollar bills.