Four arrested in Bogotá for impersonating judicial police to commit robbery
In Chapinero, four men who posed as members of the Technical Investigation Body were arrested after being reported by their victims to the emergency line 123.
Four arrested in Bogotá for impersonating judicial police to commit robbery
Four men were arrested in the Chicó Norte sector, in the Chapinero locality, after attempting to commit a robbery while posing as members of the Technical Investigation Body of the National Police (Sijín). The information was disclosed by Bogotá's Security Secretariat and reported by the outlet Infobea.
The incident occurred on 10 July. The individuals entered a commercial premises and presented themselves to several people as detectives. However, the victims noticed that none of them carried valid credentials or institutional clothing, so they opted to call the emergency number 123.
Thanks to that alert, the Metropolitan Police deployed a search operation that managed to intercept the car in which the suspects were fleeing. Inside the vehicle, a suitcase was found containing an expensive laptop computer and a tablet; the items were valued at approximately ten million Colombian pesos.
The modus operandi consisted of impersonation of authority: the thieves posed as agents tasked with investigating crimes in order to seize the electronic equipment. Two of those detained had previously been prosecuted for similar robberies, according to confirmation from the capital's authorities.
After being captured in flagrante delicto, the four were brought before a judge on charges of robbery. The Security Secretariat reiterated its call to Bogotans to report suspicious conduct via the emergency line 123 and to always demand identification from those presenting themselves as public servants, in order to avoid becoming victims of this type of fraud.
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá