At A Glance
- Rizal PPO chief Col. Felipe Maraggun said the suspect is part of a group that poses as a legitimate manning agency to lure victims.
"Melet" (center) being interviewed by the police after her arrest in Taytay, Rizal.
Police arrested a woman wanted for large scale illegal recruitment and estafa on Tuesday, June 17, after allegedly promising jobs in New Zealand to five individuals in 2016, the Rizal Police Provincial Office (Rizal PPO) said.
The police identified the suspect as Melet, 42, a resident of Cagayan Valley. She is tagged as the No. 1 most wanted individual by the Benguet Police.
According to Rizal PPO chief Col. Felipe Maraggun, Melet was nabbed in a manhunt operation in Barangay Kadalagahan in Taytay, Rizal by the Taytay Police and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Kalinga (CIDG-Kalinga).
”From November to December 2016, she was able to falsely promise jobs abroad lalo na sa New Zealand as dairy farm workers, pero hindi natupad lahat ‘yun (From November to December 2016, she was able to promise jobs abroad particularly in New Zealand as dairy farm workers. But none of those came true),” Maraggun said, adding Melet has no recruitment license nor was she registered at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
He added the suspect is part of a group that poses as a legitimate manning agency to lure victims.
Further investigation revealed that the suspect has been a fugitive from the law since 2017 in Taytay.
Melet is now in the custody of the Taytay Municipal Police Station Custodial Facility and is facing charges for estafa with a recommended bail of P18,000, and large scale illegal recruitment with no bail recommended.