Town cops collar man w/ fake bills

HILONGOS, Leyte, Philippines – A 46-year-old man was arrested by the town police after paying a store for his purchased goods with a P1,000 note that turned out to be counterfeit.

Chief Insp. Ramil Amodia, chief of the Hilongos Police, said the cashier of the agri-vet supply store hurriedly went to the station at 4:30 pm, informing the police that a man had just paid the store a fake P1,000 bill for his goods.

“When we responded, the man was still in the store and was apparently drunken,” Amodia told The FREEMAN.

The suspect, later identified as Hector Fabuada of Bgy. Combado in Maasin City, was caught with the fake bills (the one with serial number NR JA516438 and another P100 bill in his hand).

Four more counterfeit P1000 bills (serial numbers UV44685, UN 856941, VL556563 and VL 55653) were recovered from Fabuada’s possession during the body search done later inside the police station.

The store cashier, Minerva Dagatan, said she had been on alert after the store got victimized before using the same method.

The police had prepared a charge against Fabuada for violation of Article 168 (possession of illegal bank notes) of the Revised Penal Code and estafa.

The chargers were however not filed because the victim-store was not interested to do so.

Amodia said the quick response of the police was part of the directives of Mayor Jose Emery Roble, especially at this time of Christmas holidays and the coming town fiesta.

He also urged town residents to be extra careful in dealing with unfamiliar people and report to the police any unusual happenings in their areas.