Public warned on fake P500 bills

Caloocan City police chief Senior Superintendent Benjardi Mantele is calling on the public to be extra vigilant over a renewed attempt by unscrupulous persons to dupe the public and sabotage the already ailing economy by circulating fake P500 bills.

Bernard Laures, 30, married, a resident of 12 Rizal Avenue Extension, was arrested at around 3 p.m. last Wednesday afternoon after the RTW storeowner who declined to be named complained to the police. Recovered from Laures were three bills which later turned out to be fake after passing them through an ultra-violet light detector, a machine used by banks and other commercial establishments to detect whether a paper bill is genuine or not.

Police earlier said Laures first went to a restaurant owned by Janeth Mawili, 28, of VSE Bldg. along McArthur Highway where he allegedly paid a fake P500 bill for his meal. Police are further investigating the case to determine Briones’ or any counterfeiting syndicate’s extent of operation.– Jerry Botial