Cops nab man involved in P1.6-B investment scam

Police arrested on Sunday a man who allegedly took P1.6 billion from thousands of people through an investment scam.

Superintendent Roque Merdeguia, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Anti Transnational Crime Unit, identified the suspect as Darlito dela Cruz, who has known addresses in Binmaley, Pangasinan and Camara, Botolan, Zambales.

Dela Cruz was arrested in Angeles City by virtue of a warrant of arrest for syndicated estafa and estafa issued by Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 215 Judge Rafael Hipolito.

The suspect was the head of Hyper Program International Direct Sales and Trading Corporation or HPI Direct Sales and Trading Corporation when it started its operation in March 2014.

The company invited or recruited customers on the internet and social media platforms such as Facebook to invest in its cosmetics and health and wellness products, according to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Advisory dated May 18, 2015.

Merdeguia said HPI investors and customers were convinced by the suspect to invest money in the company with a promise of huge returns of up to 30 percent to 35 percent in a span of 40 to 45 days.

HPI, however, failed to deliver on the promise until it closed and ceased operations in November 2016.

In early of 2015, HPI customers and investors flocked to the National Bureau of Investigation to file a complaint against Dela Cruz and other suspects.

A certain Anthony Purganan, one of the suspects, had been arrested by the CIDG Detective and Special Operations Unit (DSOU) on July 22, 2016 at around 10:30 p.m. in Antipolo City.

The CIDG said Dela Cruz and a certain Queen Ashley Ablan, HPI treasurer, ran in the 2016 elections as the 1st and 2nd nominees of the Tanggol Maralita Partylist.

The HPI duped around 16,000 individuals including overseas Filipino workers from the Middle East. —ALG, GMA News