LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The manager of a travel and tours company that is reportedly engaged in an investment scheme was charged for slight illegal detention before the provincial prosecutor’s office after she allegedly temporarily padlocked inside her office a 55-year old cervical cancer patient who was trying to withdraw her over P1 million investment in the said company.
In her complaint, Mila Kitawaki, 55 and a cervical cancer patient reportedly went to the office of the Key World Ventures, a duly licensed travel and tours company that is also allegedly involved in investment scheme, in order to withdraw her over P1 million money which she placed in exchange for an interest of 35 percent.
Kitawaki, who was rescued by elements of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group – North Central Luzon Unit (CIDG-NCLU) inside the said establishment Tuesday morning, informed investigators that she went to the Key World Ventures office to claim her investment and brought with her a demand letter Monday.
However, the company’s staff allegedly did not attend to her and even the owner refused to agree to her returning the victim’s investment until Julia Sabey Fianza, manager of the company, allegedly padlocked her office with the victim inside at the close of office hours Monday afternoon.
Worried about what will happen to her, Kitawaki reportedly texted her relatives about what happened which prompted some of them to seek the assistance of CIDG personnel that resulted to her being rescued from the office Tuesday morning or after 13 hours of being padlocked inside the company’s office.
Upon the arrival of CIDG personnel in the crime scene, they noticed that the office door which was padlocked by the manager the night before was already open that allowed them to easily take the victim into their custody.
In an earlier interview with a local television network, Fianza belied having detained the victim and that she padlocked her office at the close of office hours Monday afternoon in order to protect the renters located at the upper floors of the building considering that the latter asserted that she will not leave the office until such time that her supposed P1 investment will be personally returned to her on the same day.
When the matter was referred to the provincial prosecutor’s office for inquest proceedings, Prosecutor Mark Maranes advised that the same will be filed through the regular filing procedures considering that the victim was not totally deprived of her liberty as she was able to use her communication gadget to inform her relatives about what happened to her while trying to recover her investment with the company.
CIDG investigators will conduct an in-depth analysis on the contents of the investment agreement between the company and the victim in order to ascertain whether or not it will fall under the criteria of ponzi scheme or a promise of a high interest for an investment within a short period of time.
Probers disclosed no complaint against the company’s investment scheme was ever filed with the CIDG or concerned law enforcement agencies, thus, the concentration of the case will be the slight illegal detention charges. By Dexter A. See
