A 68-year-old woman lost P150,000 in cash and valuables to so-called members of the Budol-Budol Gang in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday, despite the repeated warnings of the police on the operations of the organized crime group.

Initial police investigations showed that four suspects, three of whom were female, managed to convince Sonia Aguilar to enter a joint business venture with them, before switching the bag containing her money with a bag that they alleged had P800,000 inside.

Instead, Aguilar found cut-out newspapers.

But Supt. Harold Tuzon, San Carlos police chief, yesterday said a security camera in the bank, where the victim withdrew her money that was taken by the suspects, captured an image of one of the suspects.

Tuzon said one of the four suspects met and talked to the victim inside a snack house at the poblacion of San Carlos City, on Tuesday.

After the female suspect presented a joint business proposal where a profit is guaranteed within two hours upon investment,  Aguilar went home, took her bank book to withdraw P150,000 in cash from the bank.

Tuzon said Aguilar was accompanied by two more suspects when she withdrew the money.

The four suspects also convinced the victim to put the cash she had withdrawn in a bag, which they claimed to have contained P800,000 in cash.

Tuzon said the suspects also successfully switched the bag containing the cash, to another bag containing pad papers, which was given to the victim, who advised her to wait for them at her residence.

Aguilar had waited for two hours for the suspects who failed to arrive, prompting her to report the incident to the Sagay Police Station, bringing with her the bag given to her by the suspects.

Tuzon said the three female suspects were “good looking and in their 20’s and 30’s, while the male suspect is in his late 40’s, all Cebuano-speaking.”

The police reiterated warnings for the public not to get easily enticed and to be very cautious to strangers, who may pose as friends of their family or propose short-term investment proposals.

Tuzon called on the public to immediately report to the police similar business transactions proposed by suspicious individuals.*GPB

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