Police nab Oro banker over attempt to swindle Iligan bank

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

POLICE on Wednesday arrested a banker whose group allegedly tried to swindle an Iligan bank using copied identification papers and documents of a teacher that sought a loan from a Cagayan de Oro bank.

Chief Insp. Ariel Philip Pontillas, Agora police chief, said the operation carried out by the Cagayan de Oro and Iligan police resulted in the arrest of Ryan Bitonga, 32, of Silver Creek, Barangay Carmen.

Pontillas said the suspect works at a bank on Velez Street, this city.

Bitonga’s arrest came after he was identified by one Kristine Cabasag of Barangay Patag, this city, as the brains behind an alleged swindling operation.

Cabasag was earlier arrested in Iligan after she attempted to pass herself off as a public school teacher when she applied for a P300-thousand salary loan from the East West Bank there.

Police said Cabasag identified herself as “Nena Catubig” of Opol, Misamis Oriental, supposedly a teacher at Manticao National High School.

Police said the Iligan bank conducted a background check and found out that Cabasag and Catubig are different persons. The bank then sought the help of the police.

Police said Cabasan told  investigators that she received her fake identification card from Bitonga, and that he allegedly masterminded it.

Bitonga was arrested during an entrapment near a gasoline station on CM Recto Ave. in Barangay 26.

“We asked Cabasan to call Bitonga and tell him that the loan was approved, and that she would give the P300-thousand check to him,” Pontillas said.

Cabasag was supposed to receive a P40-thousand share, police said.

The Agora police said the real Catubig applied for a loan at the Cagayan de Oro-based bank where Bitonga was connected, and the suspect allegedly replicated her identification card and documents.

“Ang gi-submit ni Catubig nga mga papers ang gigamit sa sindikato human kini siya naka-loan og P115 thousand at Wealth Bank,” Pontillas said.