2 ‘impostors’ run off with rice, arrested

TWO men who posed as government officials were arrested last Tuesday after they duped a businesswoman to give them six sacks of rice worth more than P13,000 in Pinamungajan.

Police identified the suspects as Jonathan Labitad Bacus, 43, and Jose Jecky Belocura, 39.

Before they were arrested, the suspects arrived in the town’s public market on board a taxi (GXE-491) and proceeded to a store owned by Presentacion Navaja Manlangit, 63, at 12:30 p.m.

They introduced themselves as officials of Barangay Mangoto, Pinamungajan.

The suspects persuaded Manlangit to give them six sacks of rice with the payment to be given at the barangay hall of Mangoto.

They also asked for an official receipt.

Manlangit then ordered her worker Jeric Mainit to deliver the sacks on board a tricycle.

The suspects boarded the taxi and drove ahead of the tricycle. They stopped the tricycle upon reaching Sitio Bonbon, Barangay Poblacion.

Bacus and Belocura ordered Mainit to transfer the sacks of rice to the taxi. Then they asked Mainit to get another sack of rice from the store.

When Mainit returned to Bonbon with the additional sack of rice, the suspects were no longer in the area.

The incident was immediately reported to Pinamungajan Police Station, which relayed the information to neighboring police stations.

The taxi was intercepted by the police in Barangay Poblacion, San Fernando at 2 p.m.

Police arrested the suspect and recovered the six sacks of rice, which were returned to the businesswoman.