Man posing as immigration officer arrested

Police arrested a man in Manila yesterday for attempting to swindle money from the Filipina wife of a Belgian by posing as a Bureau of Immigration officer.

Superintendent Marcelino Pedrozo Jr., chief of the Manila Police District’s General Assignment Section, said suspect Jose Mallari approached Milagros de Kreyger and her husband Redgy and introduced himself as a BI officer when they went to the bureau’s main office in Intramuros, Manila, to apply for a permanent resident visa in May.

Mallari told the couple that he would facilitate the Belgian’s visa application.

A few weeks later Mallari informed them that the visa application was denied and he asked for P150,000 to have it approved.

Sensing fraud, the wife personally checked with the BI about her husband’s immigration status and learned that the visa application was lodged only last August, three months after Mallari claimed that it had been denied.

She also found out that the application had already been approved by the bureau but the order could not be implemented in the absence of the applicant’s passport.

De Kreyger contacted Mallari and was told the passport would only be surrendered to her in exchange for P150,000.

The wife then complained to the MPD and Pedrozo set an entrapment operation.

Mallari met with De Kreyger at a fastfood restaurant in nearby Sta. Cruz and was arrested by PO3 Henry Ligson and PO2 Jess Sumang upon receiving the money.

Charges of robbery and extortion are being readied against Mallari. He denied the allegations against him.