Police secure casino scammer in Indonesia prisoner swap

Police on Thursday secured the custody of casino junket operator Hector Aldwin Pantollana, who is allegedly involved in a multibillionpeso investment scam, in what appears to be a prisoner swap between the Philippines and Indonesia.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said CIDG agents already have custody of Pantollana, although there is no word yet on when the Filipino fugitive will be brought back to the country.

It is unclear how Indonesian authorities apprehended Pantollana, who allegedly took at least P4 billion worth of investments from thousands of investors in the Cordilleras and other regions in the country.

Pantollana, 35, has at least seven warrants of arrest issued by courts in Metro Manila and the provinces of Quezon and Cavite for estafa and violation of Republic Act 8799, or the Securities Regulation Code.

In return for Pantollana’s custody, Torre said they turned over Handoyo Salman, an Indonesian national who allegedly amassed 900 billion rupees or about P3.3 billion in online scams, to their counterparts in Indonesia.