NBI arrests alleged swindler

MANILA, Philippines - A man suspected of being a member of a gang involved in swindling was arrested by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents during an entrapment at a restaurant in Intramuros, Manila Wednesday, an official said yesterday.

The arrest of Mario Ocampo, 59, is based on a complaint by Oliver Fabio and Louie Ongpauco, who said Ocampo and his group reportedly misrepresented themselves as employees of the Bureau of Customs and offered goods being auctioned off at the BOC at much lower prices, according to NBI officer-in-charge Nonnatus Caesar Rojas.

Fabio and Ongpauco said after they paid P54,000 for two Nikon cameras, Ocampo and his group could no longer be contacted and the items they bought were never delivered.

Ocampo was presented for inquest before the Manila prosecutor’s office on charges of attempted estafa and falsification of public documents. He is being held at the NBI jail.

The NBI also warned the public from entertaining calls or text messages offering for sale items that are said to be on auction at the BOC.