Tow-truck robbery in Chapinero: vehicle recovered in Barrios Unidos following report
A citizen reported the theft of his car outside Lourdes park using a tow truck; the police recovered it hours later in the 7 de Agosto neighbourhood.
Tow truck used to steal vehicle in Chapinero; police recover it at midday
A citizen lost his vehicle in the early hours of Saturday, 14 November, outside Lourdes park, in the Chapinero district, Bogotá, after several individuals took it away on board a tow truck. According to semana.com, the owner verified with traffic authorities that the car did not appear in any official impound lot in the city.
The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning, when the vehicle was parked on a public road. The individuals arrived in the tow truck and removed the vehicle without any clarity on whether the procedure had any type of traffic authority authorisation.
Method mimicking official procedures
The central concern in the case lies in the method employed: the use of a tow truck can make the removal of a vehicle look like a standard immobilisation procedure, especially when it is carried out in the early hours and without the owner present. The authorities did not initially confirm whether the tow truck had been authorised for any official operation or whether it was used to commit the theft.
With the car absent from Bogotá's impound lots, the owner requested assistance from the public through social media to find out the whereabouts of the vehicle.
Recovery through cameras and joint effort
Bogotá's Metropolitan Police recovered the vehicle around midday on the same day, located in the 7 de Agosto neighbourhood, in the Barrios Unidos district. Lieutenant Colonel Viviana Mendivelso, commander of Chapinero Police Station, confirmed that the discovery was possible thanks to the owner's timely report, the support of order managers and the follow-up through video surveillance cameras.
Officers from Chapinero Police Station carried out the work that made it possible to locate the vehicle, whose theft would have been committed using the towing method. The recovery was the result of joint work between the National Police, Order Managers and the community, according to the official report.
The vehicle was returned to its owner once recovered.
Investigation underway and recommendations
"At this moment, investigative work and the gathering of video surveillance footage are underway in order to be able to locate and apprehend those responsible," said Lieutenant Colonel Mendivelso.
Following the operation, the police issued a call to drivers to avoid leaving their vehicles parked on public roads for prolonged periods. The institution recommended using authorised car parks or, when possible, storing vehicles at home, with the aim of reducing opportunities for theft using this or other methods.
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá