Rent-sangla scam brains arrested again in Laguna

MANILA, Philippines — The alleged mastermind of a multimillion-peso car rental scam has been re-arrested.

Rafaela Anunciacion, 57, was collared at a mall in San Pedro, Laguna last Saturday, the Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group (HPG) said yesterday.

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice filed 14 counts of syndicated estafa against Anunciacion and her alleged cohorts Marilou Cruz, Edgardo Ramos, Alfredo Ronquillo, Eliseo Cortez, Anastacia Cauyan, Sabina Torrea and Leonardo Torrea.

No bail was recommended.

The complaints were filed by 14 victims of the scam who said they were enticed to enter into a rent-a-car business in exchange for rental fees of P20,000 to P50,000 per month.

Anunciacion was arrested in March 2017 based on a warrant for estafa filed against her in 2015. Anunciacion was freed after posting bail of P40,000.

Chief Superintendent Roberto Fajardo, HPG director, called on the victims of the scam to surface and file charges against Anunciacion.

“We are having a hard time consolidating the cases... we are calling on all complainants to come out as a team... We will file syndicated estafa to ensure an airtight case,” Fajardo said.

He said some of the victims decided not to file charges after they recovered their vehicles.

Anunciacion’s group allegedly duped more than 800 vehicle owners across the country into lending their vehicles, which were later pawned.

Since 2017, the HPG has recovered 608 vehicles used in the scam. At least 514 vehicles were released to the owners while 94 others were impounded.

Fajardo said the HPG recovered 29 other vehicles this year.