Man arrested after lying about being kidnapped to cover up online gambling losses from wife
A 30-year-old man in Manila, Philippines, was arrested after falsely claiming he had been kidnapped, in an attempt to hide gambling losses of over PHP65,000 (S$1,400) from his wife.
On Tuesday (21 April), the man approached village officials in Tondo seeking help before being brought to a police station to file a report.
According to ABS-CBN, he alleged that he had been abducted and robbed at gunpoint at a shopping mall in Ermita, before being dumped along a road in Tondo.
Source: TV Patrol
Police uncover truth through CCTV checks
However, investigations quickly cast doubt on the man’s claims.
According to Manila Police Public Information Office Chief Major Philipp Ines, CCTV footage from the relevant areas showed no evidence of any kidnapping or robbery.
“There happened no kidnapping, no robbing at gunpoint,” Mr Ines said.
Confronted with the findings, the man later admitted that he had fabricated the story.
He revealed that he had lost PHP65,000 (S$1,400) on an online slot game known as “Scatter”.
“I lied to the police that I was robbed at gunpoint to hide this from my wife,” the man said. “I didn’t want her to learn that I just lost the money from gambling.”
Source: OKBET
The man, a seafarer, added that the money had been meant for his visa processing.
Man faces charge of unjust vexation
Authorities have warned the public against both gambling and making false police reports.
“As we say, nothing good comes from gambling, and no one gets rich from gambling,” Mr Ines said.
Source: TV Patrol
“When we receive reports like this, we don’t ignore them,” he added. “It’s sad because he used our police officers for this and caused us to be alarmed.”
The suspect faces a charge of unjust vexation, which carries a punishment of up to 30 days in jail, up to PHP40,000 (S$840) fine, or both.
Also read: Son in Thailand lies to mother about being employed, stabs her when pressured for salary
Son in Thailand lies to mother about being employed, stabs her when pressured for salary
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Featured image adapted from TV Patrol, Bilyonaryo.
