Dealer caught selling stolen Pentax cameras

Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation arrested last Thursday night a dealer of different kinds of camera based inside a mall for selling allegedly stolen digital cameras.

NBI-7 regional director Medardo Delemos said Mark Yap of Gizmo Marketing was arrested after his men confirmed that he is selling stolen Pentax cameras that were stolen from the Pentax-Cebu Philippines Corporation based at the Mactan Economic Zone in Lapu-Lapu City.

Delemos said his men managed to buy a Pentax camera from Yap on November 16, 2005. The NBI took the camera to Renato Bontol, the assistant general manager of Pentax Corporation in Lapu-Lapu City who confirmed that it was among those stolen from their company by unidentified persons.

It was Bontol who sought the help of the NBI authorities after he received reports that a certain dealer based inside the mall sold some of those cameras that were stolen from their company.

The NBI said Yap did not display the Pentax camera, but when somebody asked if he could buy such a camera, he just entertained them inside his office.

After Bontol issued a certification that Yap is not among the persons authorized to sell Pentax cameras, the NBI agents have decided to conduct an entrapment operation.

Using marked money, an NBI agent went to Yap's store on Thursday evening and pretended that he would want to buy a Pentax camera. Yap showed to him a Pentax Optio S5z model camera worth P19, 000 which he agreed to buy.

The NBI agent gave the marked money to Yap and he was then arrested for violating the anti-fencing law.

Bontol later inspected the camera purchased and said it was another one of those stolen from their company.

There are speculations that some of Pentax personnel are stealing the cameras and selling them. - Rene U. Borromeo