NBI arrests 4 suspects for selling overpriced thermal scanners

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday arrested four suspects for allegedly selling overpriced thermal scanners.

The alleged profiteers sold NBI agents 60 pieces of thermal scanners at P5,000 each during an entrapment operation, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

The suggested retail price for thermal scanners was P800 to P1,500.

The subjects were brought to the NBI main office along Taft Avenue in Manila for the usual booking procedures. They would be taken to the Manila prosecutor's office on Wednesday for inquest over profiteering and hoarding charges, the DOJ said.

These latest arrests came a day after the NBI filed criminal complaints against four persons connected to two medical supply stores in Manila who allegedly sold overpriced thermal scanners and face masks.

Agents seized thousands of thermal scanners and medical masks worth more than P10 million during a raid last Friday, the NBI said.

The NBI had earlier said it would prioritize going after profiteers and hoarders who would take advantage of the high demand for such supplies amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emergency in the country. — DVM, GMA News