Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez is asking the national Land Transportation Office to investigate why the LTO Bacolod office issued a driver’s license to a notorious fugitive from India tagged as a leader of an organized crime syndicate, which states that he is a Filipino.
Benitez said on Sunday, July 14, that he is asking for an investigation on the LTO Bacolod’s negligence in verifying data given by the driver’s license applicant.
Driver’s license FO1-22-001866 was issued to Kant Gupta, the fake name of Joginder Geong, stating that he was a Filipino and a resident of Bacolod City even if he is an Indian national.
The Bacolod police arrested Geong, 40, in Barangay Taculing, Bacolod City, on July 8. He had been sentenced to life imprisonment in India for violating arms laws and had been hiding in Bacolod.
Lawyer Bartolome Malde Jr. of the City Legal Office said the issuance of a driver’s license with false information is a serious matter as it is used an identification card for various government transactions, and even for banking purposes.
The issuance of a driver’s license to a fugitive with false information is also a danger to national security, said Malde on the “Isugid Kay Mayor” radio program on Sunday.
Malde said from a legal point of view this is negligence that is actionable through administrative and criminal cases.
There was negligence in the LTO procedure that should be investigated and corrected, he said.
In response to a query by the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) LTO-Bacolod Licensing Center chief Joseph Danoy issued a certification on Friday stating that driver’s license F01-22-001866 is valid and authentic and was issued to Kant Gupta of 132 Zircon St., City Heights Subdivision, Taculing, Bacolod City, on March 7, 2022.
Danoy also certified that Gupta had obtained his student permit from the LTO Bacolod on Jan. 16, 2022. Records show that upon his application for a student permit Gupta submitted his Theoretical Driving Course Certificate and passport, among others, which reflected “Filipino” and “Nepalese” citizenship, respectively, Danoy said.
However, due to the data Gupta encoded on his enrollment through the Land Transport Management System Public Portal, his citizenship reflected was “Filipino”. The same appeared on the printing of his Driver’s License, Danoy added.
The Embassy of India in Manila had requested the arrest and deportation of Geong, who was described as a notorious criminal with a history of serious offenses such as murder, attempted murder, extortion, and robbery.
There are also allegations linking him to the Khalistani Terrorist Group, a Bureau of Immigration report said.*