NBI nabs woman who duped 5 victims aspiring to go ...

Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested a woman for allegedly duping five complainants of a total of P1.1 million after promising them she could facilitate their visa from the Italian Embassy due to her "strong connection" with the embassy and airport personnel during an operation at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City.

Head Agent Angelito Magno, chief of the NBI-Special Action Unit, identified the suspect as Salome "Babes" Jacobe. She is facing charges of estafa through falsification of public document.

The arrest stemmed from the complaints of Daisy Miguel, of Block 5, Lot 19, Rockville Subdivision, Malpitic, Pampanga; Rolando Rabano, of Barangay Paiisa, Tiaong, Quezon; Harry Corpus, of Scout Fuentabella, of 186 Kamuning, Quezon City; Tomneth dela Cruz, of 23 Jennes Avenue, Rosario, Pasig City and Nadia Ico, of 84 Sapang, Bayambang, Pangasinan.

Investigation showed that the suspect was nabbed during an entrapment last December 12 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City.

In their complaint, the victims claimed that they were introduced to the suspect by one Denwel Dulog.

The suspect said she has strong connections with the Italian Embassy and airport personnel. Believing her, each of them gave the suspect the amount of P220,000 or the total amount of P1,100,000 with their passports and pictures as evidenced by the acknowledgement receipt issued by Jacobe.

The suspect asked the victims to buy round-trip ticket bound from Manila-Bangkok-Italy and with a departure date on October 19, 2007.

A week after the meeting, the suspect delivered to them their passports with their Italian visa stamped on it.

On the day of their supposed departure, the suspect accompanied them to the NAIA. At the Airline Counter, a reservations officer noticed something unusual on their passports which prompted the airport personnel to get assistance of the NBI detailed at the airport.

At the NBI-NAIA Division office, the NBI probers informed the victims that the Italian visas were all fake.

Days later, the suspect again informed the victims that they were scheduled to depart on November 3 or 4, 2007 but the promise did not materialize.

The suspect demanded additional P25,000 from each of them purportedly for the release of their passports by NBI-NAIAD.

The suspect again called them up and demanded P50,000 allegedly to be given to an immigration officer in the airport as escort fee and P50,000 for a new round trip ticket for Milan, Italy to be given on day of their departure on Dec. 12.

They agreed to give money to the suspect on the same day, December 12. The NBI set up an entrapment at 10 a.m. of December 12.

The suspect even made excuses for the delay in the delivery of the passports, saying that the one who was about to deliver the passports figured in an accident.

Miguel was asked to wait until the afternoon. The suspect assured her that they could leave. As planned, Miguel handed the marked bills to the suspect. The NBI operatives then subsequently arrested Jacobe.

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