Bullet found in US-bound couple’s bag

NAIA (Photo by Mithril Cloud https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:NAIA_Terminal_3_2009_MC.jpg)

A husband and wife bound for the United States were initially barred from boarding  their flight when a bullet of caliber .22 was found in their luggage after passing through the security x-ray machine at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport [NAIA] Terminal 2.

The passengers identified as Cesar Caranto and Marlyn Caranto, both natives of San Carlos, Pangasinan,  argued with the NAIA security and Office for Transportation Security [OTS] personnel when they were stopped from boarding the aircraft at 9 p.m. on Monday, February 20.

The Caranto couple denied owning the bullet that was found in their luggage by the OTS personnel.

Marlyn accused the OTS personnel of delaying them from their flight after the latter insisted that a bullet was detected inside their luggage.

The OTS personnel scanned the luggage through the security x-ray machine for the second time to confirm an image of a bullet inside the luggage.

The OTS personnel subjected the luggage to a manual inspection and found that the bullet was sewed inside a compartment of the bag.

When the bullet was confirmed, Marlyn yelled saying “I know (this) bullet, I forgot to take that out of my bag, my friend placed it there as an amulet against hexes when I went to San Carlos to collect taxes for the Pangasinan City hall.”

Marlyn claimed that this type of bullet is used for bird-hunting and was placed by her friend in her bag to serve as an amulet against hexes.

After the incident was recorded to the security logbook, the Carantos were allowed to board the plane.

The bullet was seized and surrendered to the PNP-aviation security group by the OTS personnel.