By: Jaimie Rose R. Aberia
Police arrested Wednesday afternoon a Jamaican national believed to be a member of an international syndicate for defrauding a businesswoman of hundreds of thousands pesos in Caloocan City.
The suspect identified as Alvin William, 32, was collared by Caloocan police operatives in an entrapment on General San Miguel Street in Sangandaan at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
The complainant, a 51-year-old businesswoman who refused to be named, told police that she met an American who introduced himself as John through an online chat room.
The victim admitted that she fell in love with John who told her that he had plans to go to the Philippines to start a business.
The woman said her American boyfriend was scheduled to arrive in the country last Monday, but she later received a call from someone who pretended to be Bureau of Customs agent and informed her that John was placed on hold due to an undeclared dollar and will only be released if she pays P88,500.
Due to her desire to finally see her boyfriend and start their business, the victim deposited the amount to a bank.
However, the victim started doubting when she was told that she has to meet William who introduced himself as John’s lawyer, and pay another P150,000 as processing fee.
She sought assistance from Caloocan Police that immediately arranged an entrapment operation against William.
Seized from William’s possession were the P150,000 boodle money, several foreign currencies, identification cards, and about 100 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of P500,000.