In a significant crackdown on online fraud, four individuals were apprehended in an entrapment operation in Barangay Burnay, Talavera, Nueva Ecija, on the morning of Sunday, January 19, 2025. The suspects, identified as a 25-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman from Barangay Burnay, along with two 28-year-old men from Barangay San Pascual, were arrested following a complaint filed by Renz, a 32-year-old co-owner of a motorsport shop.
The scam involved a fifth suspect, a 24-year-old man, who impersonated a buyer and used a fake online transaction slip to purchase motor parts valued at P809,500. Believing the transaction to be legitimate, the victim, referred to as Cordova, dispatched the motor parts through a delivery service, only to discover later that no payment had been made.
Swift action by the Nueva Ecija police, led by Col. Ferdinand Germino, resulted in the immediate planning and execution of an entrapment operation, leading to the arrest of the four suspects. The motor parts that were the subject of the scam were recovered from the suspects. The arrested individuals now face charges of syndicated estafa.
The mastermind behind the fraudulent transaction, the fifth suspect, remains at large, and a manhunt is currently underway to apprehend him.