By Nancy Carvajal

A Nigerian national and his Filipina wife, who were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) over the sale of an eight-month-old baby, also have pending cases for allegedly swindling P1.3 million from a businesswoman.

NBI records showed that Nigerian Ifeanyi Okoro Bright and Imelda Malibiran Panopio were charged with swindling and estafa for allegedly stealing money from a certain Gemma Cortez.

The couple allegedly hacked into the social media account of a money remittance company and stole its owners identity to get P1.3 million from the businesswoman.

Bright and Panopio were positively identified by a witness whose bank account was used by the couple to commit cyber fraud.

The estafa and swindling cases against the couple are pending before a Cavite court.

Bright, who’s also using the alias Maxwell Bright, and Panopio are facing human trafficking charges for buying a baby from her mother for P45,000. The transaction was allegedly conducted online.

Operatives from NBI’s anti-human trafficking division rescued the baby at a house occupied by the couple on March 22.

The NBI is now looking into the couple’s possible involvement in other crimes.