2 women nabbed for selling fake Covid-19 test results
Charges for falsification of documents and violation of Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act were filed against the suspects. (Pixabay photo)
MANILA – Authorities have arrested two women for selling falsified coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) test results at a computer shop in Caloocan City on Thursday afternoon.
In a phone interview on Friday, Brig. Gen. Rhoderick Armamento, deputy director for administration of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said suspects Angelica Dellola and Jeshel Mohad were nabbed in an entrapment operation inside the TJ Computer Shop in Barangay 177.
“We had an entrapment operation.
There is one police officer who needed a rapid anti-body test and for PHP500, he got the results,” he said in Filipino.
The operation stemmed from a viral Facebook post where a netizen said that while waiting for her turn at the said computer shop, she saw a female employee of the shop change the name on the supposed rapid test result certificate through Photoshop, printed it and gave it over to the customer.
“We have identified the clinic, it is One-rad Medical and X-ray Clinic, and through our coordination with them, we found out that they were apprehensive because this might affect their services but they said they will cooperate with us,” he added.
Seized from the shop were two desktop computers with hard drives, two printers, one photocopying machine, one scanner, assorted receipts, and other computer equipment.
Armamento added that such activity is “highly-dangerous” especially if they changed the result stated in the certification in favor of their clients.
Charges for falsification of documents and violation of Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act were filed against the suspects.
Also on Thursday, authorities raided a printing shop that employs the same scheme in Barangay Pasong Putik, Quezon City.
(with reports from Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
