NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco said suspects Abubakar Baulo and Hamja Sahibuddin Abdahasad were charged for forging treasury, bank notes and securities before the Manila Prosecutor’s Office.
Wycoco said the two were arrested inside the Grand Boulevard Hotel in Malate, Manila last Friday while selling fake US dollars to an undercover agent.
In his report to Wycoco, NBI-Intelligence Special Operations Division (ISOD) chief Allan Contado said they received information that the suspects and a foreign national were selling fake currencies.
On Feb. 1, NBI agents conducted a test-buy and managed to get three fake $100 bills and a P50 bill for only P2,110 from Baulo.
After the deal, Baulo even offered to sell to the agent 10 bundles of $100 bills. The agent agreed to meet again.
NBI agents then had the bills acquired from Baulo checked with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, which found them counterfeit.
An entrapment was set by the NBI to arrest the suspects.
Baulo set a meeting with the agent inside the hotel for the sale of more fake dollars. They proceeded to a nearby restaurant.
The suspects handed over the fake dollars to undercover agents, who arrested them. – Cecillie Suerte Felipe