A printing shop in Caloocan City reportedly producing fake coronavirus disease (COVID-19) certificates was raided by police Thursday and arrested two women.
Authorities identified the suspects as Angelica Dellola, 20, and Jeshel Mohad, 22, both residents of Quezon City and working at TJ Computer Shop in Barangay 177, Caloocan City.
Lt. Col. Robert Domingo, head of Quezon City Police District - Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (QCPD-CIDG) said the operation was launched after Dr. Kathleen Timogan sought the help of the CIDG after she discovered that the printing shop was using and digitally editing her previously issued COVID-19 certificate to produce fake certificates.
Police said Timogan discovered the illegal activity when a concerned citizen posted it on social media and went viral.
"I went to a printing shop. And I saw this guy na pina-scan and pina-photoshopped yung name ng COVID result to another name," the viral post read.
"Tiningnan ko kung ano yung ginagawa ng babae. Nagtatype po sya, so nakita ko unang una, capslock NEGATIVE, tapos binasa ko COVID [The woman at the printing shop first typed the words NEGATIVE, then COVID)," the concerned citizen said in an interview over GMA News. The Facebook user happened to be at the shop to have her photo printed when she witnessed the illegal act.
Police immediately launched an entrapment operation on Bougainvillea St. in Maligaya Park Thursday where the printing shop is located.
The suspects were arrested after police handed a P500 bill as buy-bust money to pay for a fake COVID-19 certificate.
Seized from the suspects were two computer desktops, printer, Xerox machine, scanner and other printing equipment.
Police are readying falsification of document and violation Republic Act 11332 (Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act) charges against the suspects.