Police arrests suspect in billion peso investment scam

November 13, 2017

Police operatives of the Intelligence Division and Anti-Transnational Crime Unit (ATCU) of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested a key suspect in a billion peso estafa case, the CIDG said in a statement Monday.

Darlito dela Cruz,  26, was arrested about 1 pm Sunday at Henson Ville, Amic, Angeles City. Police had a warrant for syndicated estafa and estafa from Judge Rafael Hipolito of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, Branch 215.

Dela Cruz's co-accused,  Anthony Purganan was earlier arrested by the CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection group) Detective and Special Operations Unit on July 22, 2016, around 10:30 pm  in Antipolo City.

Dela Cruz's company, Hyper Program International Direct Sales and Trading Corporation, also known as HPI Direct Sales and Trading Corporation, which began operating on March 2014, would allegedly recruit people on the internet and Facebook to invest in its cosmetics and health and wellness products.

Returns of up to 30 percent to 35 percent on their investment in a span of 40 – 45 days were promised, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) advisory dated May 18, 2015.

But HPI ceased operations in November 2016 taking away with them over a billion peso worth of investments they received from their customers, the CIDG said.

News reports said Dela Cruz and  a certain Queen Ashley Ablan  ran as nominees of the Tanggol Maralita Partylist in the 2016 elections.  News reports said a total of 16,000 individuals, including Filipino workers from the Middle East were victimized.

A newspaper also reported an Egyptian based in Kuwait who is married to a Filipina, invested P15 million and $300,000 in the campaign. DMS