ORMOC CITY-A 50-year-old businesswoman lost more than half a million pesos to an unidentified woman who posed as a quack doctor in what police believe was a budol-budol (confidence scam) on Friday morning, August 1, in Barangay P.I. Garcia, Naval, Biliran.
Police identified the victim only as “Marie,” a married resident of the same barangay.
According to the Naval Municipal Police Station, the victim reported that the suspect arrived at her home around 11 a.m., introducing herself as a traditional healer from Siquijor. The woman allegedly claimed that the victim had been cursed by her husband’s mistress and needed a ritual to break the spell.
Initially skeptical, the victim eventually agreed to the suspect’s instructions, which included preparing a bundle of assorted fruits with needles stuck into them, a piece of her husband’s clothing, a spool of red thread, a sheet of paper with unknown markings, and cash amounting to P500,000.
To raise the amount, the victim said she borrowed P300,000 from a lending firm, pawned jewelry worth P167,000, and used P33,000 from her eatery’s earnings that day. She handed all items, including the cash, to the suspect, who then left and never returned.
The total amount lost was estimated at P500,000.
Police are reviewing nearby CCTV footage to help identify the suspect and continue to warn the public against similar fraudulent schemes.
(ROBERT DEJON)
