Authorities Arrest 42-Year-Old Woman on Benguet’s Most Wanted List
TAYTAY, RIZAL – A 42-year-old woman on Benguet’s most wanted list was arrested after nine years in hiding.
The police authorities confirmed that she had been avoiding arrest for several years due to her involvement in a recruitment scam.
According to police reports, the woman was part of a group pretending to be a legitimate recruitment agency. From November to December 2016, she allegedly tricked several individuals by promising them jobs in New Zealand, particularly as dairy farm workers.
Five victims came forward and filed complaints, claiming they were asked for large sums of money in exchange for job placements abroad. Unfortunately, none of the promised jobs ever came true.
“Naloko niya yung limang complainant and yun nga nag-promise siya na bibigyan sila ng trabaho sa New Zealand as dairy farm workers pero hindi natupad lahat yun. At ang masaklap nito, wala pa silang lisensiya sa Philippine Overseas Employment Administration,” Rizal Provincial Police Office director PCol Felipe B. Maraggun.
The group had no license from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), making their recruitment activities illegal.
The police estimate that the total amount taken from the victims reached several hundreds of thousands of pesos. These people believed they were securing a better future but ended up losing both their money and trust.
The accused was quietly living in Taytay until authorities caught up with her. She was arrested without resistance and has now been turned over to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Kalinga for further legal procedures.
She is now facing serious charges of estafa and large-scale illegal recruitment. Authorities are also investigating whether more victims have yet to come forward.
The incident reminds us to always check if recruitment agencies are registered and licensed before trusting them with money or documents, especially for work abroad.
In another post, a construction worker wanted for frustrated murder arrested in Pasig