Four arrested in Tunjuelito for impersonating officers and carrying weapons
Police from the Venecia CAI intercepted three men and a woman following a 20-minute pursuit in Bogotá. They found two firearms, a bladed weapon and ammunition in the vehicle.
20-minute pursuit ends with four detained in south Bogotá
Officers from the Immediate Response Command (CAI) Venecia, in the Tunjuelito locality, arrested in flagrante three men and a woman for the alleged crime of manufacturing, trafficking and carrying firearms, according to pulzo.com. The operation was triggered after residents of the area alerted authorities to the presence of suspicious individuals attempting to enter homes in the neighbourhood.
The four arrested individuals identified themselves to residents as officials of the Criminal Investigation Section (SIJIN) or the Criminal Investigation Directorate and INTERPOL (DIJIN). Their claim was that they were searching for an allegedly stolen vehicle, a pretext they used to attempt to gain access to houses under the guise of impersonating authority.
The alert came through WhatsApp groups known as 'Safe Zones', civic participation networks through which residents immediately notified authorities. With a description of the car in which the suspects were travelling, patrols began a pursuit that lasted approximately 20 minutes.
The vehicle was finally intercepted in the Nuevo Muzú neighbourhood. During inspection of the car, officers found two firearms, a bladed weapon and ammunition cartridges hidden in the front part. The police indicated that these items were intended to carry out thefts through the deception of impersonating law enforcement agents.
The four detainees, along with the weapons and seized vehicle, were placed at the disposal of the General Prosecutor's Office for criminal proceedings. The Metropolitan Police of Bogotá stressed the decisive role of citizen reporting in thwarting the crime and reiterated the call to report suspicious situations through the Emergency Line 123.
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá