2 arrested in sangla-kolekta scam of condo units

The Criminal Investigation and Detention Group (CIDG) arrested two women for allegedly scamming their clients by mortgaging condominium units using forged documents.

According to Marisol Abdurahman’s report on "24 Oras" on Wednesday, the suspects were arrested inside a coffee shop in an entrapment operation in which the victim would have given P300,000 as the final installment for a condominium unit that was mortgaged for P600,000.

“Dating nang inireklamo sa Register of Deeds na sinangla pero napagalaman ng biktima na nakasangla na rin sa ibang tao,” Police Major Michael John Villanueva, District Chief of CIDG-Southern District, said.

(There was a complaint already filed before the Register of Deeds that the property in question was mortgaged, but the victim found out that it was also mortgaged to someone else.)

The modus is called “sangla-kolekta”, in which a certain group would offer mortgaged condominium properties to their victims in exchange for the promise of receiving P18,000 each month for a unit.

For one unit, the group was able to collect up to P1.6 million from their victim.

The two suspects, however, denied the allegations.

“Hindi po talaga ako involved dito, ma’am. Bale may i-meet-up lang daw tapos binigay po ‘yung papers tapos kung alin daw po ang pipirmahan,” Jeanet de Leon, one suspect, said.

(I’m not really involved in this, ma’am. They just said I must meet-up with someone and then give the papers for signature.)

The other suspect claimed she was a legitimately pawning her house: “Nag-inquire lang ho ako tapos ganoon ang nangyari.”

CIDG said appropriate complaints were being prepared against the suspects, who past cases of estafa and standing warrant of arrest.

Meanwhile, authorities are searching for the other cohorts of the suspects.