Mita Chuvy Arguelles, BI-Bacolod Alien Control Officer, yesterday said they are coordinating with their agency’s intelligence division to verify the status of Oqil Oqilov, 24.

Oquilov was arrested on the complaints of Lina Aguero of PO’s Markeing Digital Araneta Branch, who claimed that the Russian national bought cellular phones from them valued at P29,990 on Thursday using a fake Banco de Oro credit card, and wanted to buy another phone Saturday, this time, using a fake Metrobank card.

Arguelles said Oquilov may have no records at their office as he did not apply for extension of his stay. She said Oquilov’s status could not be determined yet as he failed to present the required documents.

BI-Bacolod will submit his pictures and the report of police station 1 to the main office in Metro Manila, Arguelles added.

Oqoliv told the DAILY STAR that he has been in the Philippines for almost three years now and that he came to Bacolod to visit his girlfriend who lives in Brgy. Mandalagan.

Oquilov said a Filipino man, whose name is being withheld pending his arrest, gave him the fake credit cards. He added that, aside from Po’s Marketing, he also used the fraudulent cards to purchase several items from other stores in Bacolod.

City Police Director Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz said that, aside from PO’s Marketing, representatives of the AQ Optical and the PhotoLine at the Shoemart and Robinson’s place malls, also positively identified Oquilov as the customer who used fake credit cards to purchase items.

De la Paz said Oquilov and his companions may be part of a syndicate operating nationwide, whose specialty is using fake credit cards to acquire the items they want.

What happened, he said, should serve as a lesson to credit card companies, so they could improve their safety measures and such incidents will not happen again.

Dela Paz also said they are investigating whether Oquilov is indeed a Russian national, because he speaks English fluently.

The police said Oqilov allegedly has two other companions from Antipolo town in Rizal province whose names are being withheld pending their arrests.*APN

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