Russian man arrested for switching prices at grocery

MANILA, Philippines—Just because he wanted to save P27 on a bunch of bananas, a Russian man was caught allegedly switching fruit price tags at a Quezon City grocery.

Istuan Tapai, 50, staying at Banahaw Street, Barangay San Martin de Porres in Cubao, was arrested Saturday night just as he was leaving the Shopwise Department Store at the Araneta Commercial Center in Cubao after buying a bunch of Cavendish bananas at a “cheaper” price.

PO2 Roldan Cornejo, of the Quezon City Police District Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU), said that the incident happened at around 6 pm, Saturday, at the Shopwise grocery section.

Cornejo said that Shopwise employee Reynaldo Masbad saw Tapai allegedly detaching the price tag off a bunch of Saba bananas worth P48.13 and transferring the sticker to a bunch of Cavendish bananas worth P74.97, to make them P26.84 cheaper.

Masbad then claimed he watched as the Russian customer went to the cashier and paid for the Cavendish bananas at the cheaper price of P48.13.

The Shopwise employee accosted Tapai just as he was leaving with the bunch of bananas, turning him over to the custody of the security office and then to the QCPD Cubao station. The suspect was later turned over to the custody of the QCPD-CIDU for investigation.

In inquest proceedings on Sunday morning, assistant city prosecutor John Patrick Corpuz recommended the filing in court of an estafa charge against Tapai who remains detained at the QCPD-CIDU holding cell.

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