Hunt on for ‘Coco’ Rasuman kin in Metro

Jachob “Coco” Rasuman. SCREENGRAB FROM YOUTUBE

MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has ordered an “intensified” hunt for the other family members of Ponzi scam suspect Jachob “Coco” Rasuman after learning that they were in Metro Manila.

The Rasuman relatives are being sought in connection with a scam estimated to have defrauded victims from Cagayan de Oro and other cities in Mindanao of billions of pesos.

Rasuman’s wife, Princess Tomawis Rasuman, was arrested on Wednesday night in Pasay City. Rasuman surrendered to authorities last November.

De Lima ordered a renewed manhunt for six of their relatives—Bashir Rasuman Sr., Bashir Rasuman Jr., Emma Rasuman, Sultan Jerry Tomawis, Jeremiah “Maning” Rasuman and Jerome Rasuman—who are facing charges of syndicated estafa along with the Rasuman couple for allegedly fleecing investors of billions of pesos between 2011 and 2012.

“I directed (National Bureau of Investigation Director Nonnatus) Rojas to renew the manhunt for them because it looks like they are just here,” she told reporters.

Acting on a tip, Pasay City police found Tomawis Rasuman, 32, in a rented apartment in Vista Real Executive Village, Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, and arrested her just after midnight Thursday. She had been in hiding for the past four months.

The police team was serving arrest warrants for a case that the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed in November in a Cagayan de Oro court against the Rasuman family members on behalf of 25 complainants. Two more charges were filed by the DOJ in January.

In the first case, the Rasuman family is accused of duping investors, mainly Mindanao residents, of more than P120 million with the promise of high interest earnings from investments in their NAD Auto Opinion Corp.

But “the accused have failed to pay maturing obligations on their investments, ceased business operations and could no longer be located,” the justice department said in a statement last November.

By noon yesterday, at least 20 people had trooped to the Pasay City police headquarters where Tomawis was detained to file more complaints against the Rasumans, according to Pasay police chief Senior Supt. Rodolfo Llorca.