2 persons of interest held over missing businesspeople
Two persons of interest (POIs), who were linked to the disappearance of three businessmen, surrendered to the police on Thursday night, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said on Friday.
Couple Henry Angelo and Margie Pantollana and their business partner Richard Cadiz were last spotted in Cavite last July 6 after supposedly meeting with a certain “Jeff” at his Pasig City condominium, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission previously detailed.
The two POIs—a male and a female—were caught on security footage allegedly using credit cards under the names of Henry Pantollana and his sister, Hazel, CIDG National Capital Region chief Lt. Col. John Guiagui said in an interview in Camp Crame on Friday.
Guiagui did not name the pair but said they were Manila residents who “knew each other” and supposedly bought at least three credit cards under various banks from a Quezon City seller—whom police are now tracking down.
He claimed the two POIs used the credit cards to buy over 50 cellphones valued at P1 million, had coffee and withdrew P5,000 in cash at shops in Quezon City, Parañaque City, Bulacan and Cavite.
“They were able [to] generate IDs that were presented as proof that they were Hazel Pantollana, that they were Henry Pantollana,” Guiagui said, adding that the two POIs allegedly sold the phones for a profit of P500,000.
Asked to comment while in Camp Crame, the pair confirmed that they used the credit cards under the Pantollanas’ names and detailed that they bought the cards from “junk traders” (nagbabasura) in Payatas.
But they denied any knowledge or involvement in the Pantollanas’ and Cadiz’s disappearance, stressing that they came before the CIDG to explain. “We had no money. We were just looking for a side hustle. I just tagged along,” one of them said.
Card fraud
Both POIs face a case for violations of Republic Act No. 8484 or the Access Devices Regulation Act, which penalizes the fraudulent use of credit cards, according to CIDG public information chief Maj. Helen dela Cruz in the interview.
Guiagui added that the male POI allegedly has a prior case in Makati City, also for violating RA 8484, but he did not expound on the incident.
Meanwhile, the certain “Jeff”—whom the Pantollanas and Cadiz supposedly met with before their disappearance—already came before the CIDG earlier this week, Guiagui said.
“Jeff” said the three businessmen were at his Pasig City condominium at around 11:30 a.m. on July 6 and that Henry Pantollana “had to take phone calls” during their visit, then “rushed” to go to another meeting, according to Guiagui.
The CIDG previously said it subpoenaed at least 13 individuals—whom it did not identify—as part of the investigation into the case. —WITH REPORTS FROM JANICCA BUNAO, INQUIRER.net intern
