Woman withdraws P5K, gets P500K from bank teller

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines  – A woman from Carmen town in Bohol spent a night in jail after she got P500,000 from the teller of the Philippine National Bank in this city, even if she only withdrew P5,000 from her account.

Police blotter entry No. 1179 showed that bank teller identified as Ana Mae Honculada, 25, single of Dauis town, erred in handing over the huge amount to 47-year-old Lucena Albando Torotot, of Brgy. Katipunan in Carmen, who made a withdrawal from her account at about 11 a.m. last April 5, Tuesday.

Torotot however did not bother to inform Honculada that she received the wrong amount, but she took the cash instead and went her way home.

Hours after the withdrawal, the teller discovered her error and this prompted the bank management to ask for help from the police, which in turn alerted the neighboring town of Alburquerque.

True to the news report that she was on board of a van on her way home, Alburquerque police officers put up a checkpoint and collared Torotot, who reportedly admitted she was the one with the money. She however insisted that she did not know she got half a million pesos from the bank.

The money was recovered minus a thousand pesos used by Torotot and company for their lunch.

She was then detained at city jail overnight without a case filed until the following day when she was released after an amicable settlement was reached between bank manager Florencio Ruedas, representing the teller, and Carmen Vice Mayor Pedro Budiongan, representing Torotot.

The settlement, done after an exchange of apologies, was signed in the police blotter entry No. 1185 by both parties. – (FREEMAN)