‘Johnnie Water’: Man jailed, accused of selling fake expensive liquor in Cebu City
CDN Digital Photo by Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Police here arrested a man for allegedly duping delivery riders in a scam that involved selling fake bottles of expensive liquor.
The Mambaling Police Station confirmed apprehending a certain Greman Louise Malinao, 44, on Wednesday dawn, March 20.
He was accused of defrauding a delivery driver, identified as Charles Spencer Belocyra, of P1,200. His modus: selling bottles of high-end alcoholic beverages that contained water instead of liquor.
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Based on initial reports from the Mambaling Police Station, Malinao booked a delivery service from Belocyra, with the latter paying P1,200 to the suspect.
The delivery order was for a single bottle of blended Scotch whisky.
Fake liquor
When Belocyra reached the location pinned on his map to deliver the item, he said no one would accept it.
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Upon checking the item, he found out that the bottle was not filled with liquor but water. This led the victim to suspect that he might have fallen into a scam.
He went back to Malinao and confronted him. Belocyra then discovered that Malinao was the seller and buyer at the same time.
Belocyra complained about the incident before the Mambaling Police Station who then arrested Malinao.
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Initially, Malinao denied the accusations hurled against him. In an interview, he claimed that a certain ‘Mon’ told him to book the delivery service.
But the suspect later admitted that he was aware of the modus operandi he participated in, together with other scammers.
Malinao will be facing charges of estafa and is currently detained in the Mambaling Police Station.
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