Airport cop “transferred” for involvement in notorious bullet planting scam

Mactan_Cebu_International_Airport

Another bullet planting scam has reared its ugly head at Mactan-Cebu International Airport after bullets were “found” in the bag of a passenger heading home to Guimaras.

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Airport authorities refused to disclose the name of the keen-eyed policeman, saying he will be ‘transferred’ to the headquarters of the Aviation Security Unit office until an investigation into the matter takes place.

Authorities refuse to call it a “tanim bala” incident – saying they have requested the CCTV video of the area where the incident took place.

Airport security claimed [lied] that X-ray operators did not have any contact with the bag of the passenger.

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The incident happened while several members of the same family put their bags through the X-ray machine. The group then had lunch, bought some gifts, and headed to the departure area, passing by the same X-ray machine (operated by the same personnel) only this time they discovered a bullet in one of the backpacks.

“When we opened it in their presence, there was no bullet inside our bag. Then one of the OTS got our bag and let it pass through the X-ray machine again and to our surprise, there was already a bullet inside our bag,” the complainant noted in their affidavit.

An initial investigation claimed [lied] that the officer had no contact with the backpack – it was also noted that the officer asked the passenger to put the bag back through the X-ray machine to check where the bullet was located.

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Airport security personnel then turned the passenger over to Aviation police, when the passenger asked ‘what they could do to get home.’

The passenger then paid an “on-the-spot fine” of 2,000 pesos, and the officer then accompanied them to the X-ray machine and onto the pre-departure area.

Police are saying [lying] that if the passenger was the only person to handle the backpack, there couldn’t be a bullet planting (or ‘tanim-bala) scam.

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