A Filipino-Japanese businessman, 39 years old, was arrested in Makati for an alleged “rentangay modus” or car rental scam. He was served with a warrant by the Anti-Carnapping Unit after the victim complained that her vehicle, which was pawned by the suspect, was missing.
One of the victims from Tondo said that losing his car was a big hurt because they still had to rent it to use it every day. The bank is also pursuing them for the car's down payment. It also emerged that the suspect had a previous case related to carnapping in 2021.
In addition, more than ten people filed complaints against the suspect after learning of his arrest. According to them, they were offered investment in buying and selling gadgets in Japan. He allegedly continued to ask for money until the total amount obtained reached more than ₱77 million.
The suspect vehemently denied the allegations and insisted that he was not involved in the carnapping and investment scam. However, there are pending warrants of arrest against him in Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Quezon City.
He is currently in custody and will face charges of carnapping, syndicated estafa, and bouncing checks. The police called on the public to immediately report if they have been victimized by the same modus operandi.