After losing P65k to online gambling, man pretends to be robbery, kidnap victim

Police arrested a man in Manila who pretended to be a kidnap and robbery victim out of fear that his wife would find out that he lost over P65,000 to gambling.

In Jamie Santos’ report on “Saksi” on Thursday night, the man initially went to authorities in Barangay 105 in Tondo to report that he was allegedly abducted and robbed by unknown suspects at a mall in Ermita.

He claimed that the suspects dropped him off along the Mel Lopez Boulevard in Tondo.

Personnel of a police community precinct in Barangay 105 assisted him and brought the man to the Ermita Police Station for prompt action.

Police Major Philipp Ines, Public Information Office (PIO) chief of the Manila Police District (MPD), said police immediately came to his aid and conducted follow-up investigation and backtracking of CCTV footage.

Police later found out that no abduction or robbery took place, based on a review of CCTV footages in areas that the man was supposedly brought to.

Ines said the man admitted that he lost more than P65,000 in online gambling – money which was intended to pay for a visa application.

In a video provided by the MPD PIO, the suspect said he lied to police to prevent his wife from learning about his gambling losses.

The man said he did not know that his act of lying would land him in trouble, as he apologized to police for his actions.

Ines said the man will face charges for making up a false report to authorities. — JMA, GMA News