Imperio jewellery store owner: "We were robbed of much more" than what police recovered in Santa Cruz
Daniel Almeida, owner of Imperio jewellery store, claims that the pieces recovered by police represent a minimal fraction of the haul. Three Brazilian citizens are in custody and a fourth remains at large.
Store owner says stolen goods far exceed recovered pieces
Daniel Almeida, owner of Imperio jewellery store in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, reported that he has not yet been able to enter his establishment to quantify losses following the violent robbery on Sunday 11 October. According to El Deber, Almeida presented himself to the Specialised Fiscal Office for Patrimonial Crimes and Early Resolution to request the removal of the seal so he could carry out an inventory of the stolen merchandise.
The businessman stated that he has not yet had physical access to the jewels recovered during police operations. The information he has comes exclusively from photographs and videos circulated by the media. "We really need access to make the count. Up to now we have not been shown the jewels or the quantity that was recovered," he declared.
Identified only four pieces from images
Of all the merchandise stolen, Almeida claimed to have recognised only four pieces through the circulated images: a bangle, a watch and two chains. "The only thing I saw that was recovered so far is a bangle, a watch and two little chains," he noted, although he clarified that he has not yet been able to verify personally whether those pieces actually belong to his business.
When asked whether the quantity of jewels stolen exceeded what police showed during operations, he answered with a single word: "Much more". Almeida added that the security camera images from the premises recorded the scale of the robbery and the quantity of merchandise the criminals took, although he insisted that only a complete inventory would allow the total economic damage to be determined precisely.
The cash and gold ingots do not belong to the company
Another point the businessman sought to clarify concerned the cash and gold ingots found during police operations following the robbery. Almeida was categorical: those assets do not belong to his company. "The cash that was mentioned is not from the company. We did not have gold ingots either, unless they melted down the merchandise," he stated.
The owner clarified that this last possibility is merely a supposition and that he has no information confirming whether any of the stolen jewels were smelted. For this reason, he asked the authorities to allow him to review the recovered items to determine which actually belong to his establishment. "They still have not handed anything over to me, I have not even seen it yet," he said.
Confidence in authorities, but urgency over reopening
Despite the lack of access to the premises and recovered jewels, Almeida expressed his continued confidence in the work of police and the fiscal office. "I want to believe and I continue to believe and trust in the police, in our fiscal office. I hope that at no point I have this distrust," he said.
The businessman acknowledged the need to preserve the crime scene during the investigation, but considered it urgent that permission be granted to reopen the establishment. He also reported that he was called again to fiscal offices to give a supplementary statement at 17:00 on Friday, although he does not know whether he will be able to review the recovered jewels at that time.
Defence not notified of charges against arrested men
Rodrigo Aldana, lawyer for the owning family, reported that the defence has not been officially notified of a possible formal charge against the three Brazilian citizens arrested for their alleged involvement in the robbery. "We have no knowledge of that, we have not been notified of anything," he stated.
Aldana also confirmed a change in the handling of the case: the investigation came under the responsibility of prosecutor Añez. According to the lawyer, the defence is coordinating procedures with the Public Ministry to contribute to clarifying the facts. The owners' main objective, he emphasised, is that all those involved be identified and punished, regardless of their degree of participation. "We are asking, as we have said from the beginning, for clarification of the facts, to find the intellectual authors, the material authors," he declared.
Aldana noted that the possibility is also being investigated that part of the stolen jewels was transferred to Brazil, although he clarified that they do not have information confirming this hypothesis. "It is a possibility, but the police and the Public Ministry have to prove all of that," he explained.
Three Brazilians arrested and fourth suspect at large
The robbery of Imperio jewellery store took place on the evening of Sunday 11 October, when armed men entered the establishment located inside a shopping centre in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and stole a significant quantity of valuable pieces.
As a result of subsequent operations, police arrested three Brazilian citizens identified as Sandro Roberto da Silva Júnior, alias 'Junior Matemático'; Edson Lins Porsincula and Marcio Reis Dos Santos. A fourth suspect remains at large.
Source: El Deber