Man Loses Visa Money to Gambling and Pretended to Be a Kidnap Victim
A 30-year-old man was arrested for lying about being kidnapped in a mall in Manila after losing visa money to gambling.
On Tuesday, April 21, 2026, the incident initially caused concern after he reported that more than P65,000 had been taken from him.
According to the Manila Police District, the suspect first went to Barangay 105 in Tondo before barangay officials brought him to the Ermita Police Station to file a complaint about the alleged kidnapping.
The MPD explained that the suspect reported to a police station in Manila, claiming that he had been kidnapped and robbed inside a mall in Ermita, and was later dropped off along Road 10 in Tondo.
Because of this report, police immediately conducted a follow-up operation and reviewed CCTV footage. It later revealed that no such incident actually took place.
Authorities said that after checking the CCTV and conducting backtracking, they confirmed that there was no kidnapping or robbery that happened.
In a video shared by the MPD, the suspect admitted that he was not robbed and that the amount of P65,725 was lost through online gambling.
He confessed that he played an online game and lost around P65,000. Because of this, he decided to lie to the police and claim that he was robbed to hide the truth from his wife, as he did not want her to find out that he lost the money through gambling.
“Itong ating suspect ay nag-report dito sa isang istasyon sa lungsod ng Manila kung saan sinasabi niya na siya ay kinidnap at pinagnakawan dito sa isang mall dito sa Ermita, Manila kung saan ibinaba siya dito sa may road 10 sa may Tondo, Manila,” MPD PIO Chief Major Philipp Ines said.
The suspect also shared that the money was supposed to be used for processing his visa requirements as a seaman.
Because of this incident, authorities warned the public about the dangers of gambling, saying that it does not bring any good and that no one becomes truly rich from it.
The MPD also urged the public not to copy such actions, stressing that lying to the police is a crime and that anyone who does so will be held accountable under the law.
The suspect is now set to face a charge of unjust vexation.
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