Five arrested for extorting street vendors in Manzanilla, Cercado de Lima
The National Police arrested five people accused of charging quotas to informal vendors in Manzanilla. Among the evidence seized are mobile phones, notebooks with amounts, and S/2,500 in cash.
Five people detained for charging quotas to street vendors in Manzanilla
Agents of the Extortion Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Directorate (Dirincri) of the National Police of Peru (PNP) detained five people accused of extorting informal traders in the Manzanilla area, Cercado de Lima, according to diariocorreo.pe.
The detainees were identified as María Nataly Prado Vílchez, Lesly Merarit Sandoval Carmen, Vanesa Elizabeth Soller Huamán, Lidia Teodora Ramos Sacha and Santos Carahuatay Pachamango. The police state that the five would form an alleged family group dedicated to collecting quotas.
The operation was carried out at two locations in Cercado de Lima, following monitoring and intelligence activities conducted by the specialist unit. During the intervention, agents seized four mobile phones, two notebooks with lists of names and amounts, and S/2,500 in cash.
According to the police account, those under investigation were demanding S/10 for every five hours of work from vendors located on block 4 of Nicolás Ayllón avenue. Payment was required in exchange for allowing traders to occupy a space on the public highway to offer their products.
Those who refused to pay received death threats via WhatsApp. Among the intimidating messages, photographs of the victims' sales stalls were sent along with warnings about the alleged sending of hitmen if traders did not comply with the quotas. These threats led those affected to file complaints with Dirincri.
As part of the investigation, researchers obtained videos and images that, according to the police, show one of the women carrying out the collection of a quota from a street vendor. These evidence items were added to with messages and screenshots provided by the complainants, elements that, according to the police, made it possible to substantiate and coordinate the intervention.
The five detainees and the evidence were handed over to the corresponding units to continue investigations. The two notebooks seized will be examined to identify possible additional victims and establish the volume of collections attributed to the alleged organisation.
The four mobile phones will be subjected to expert examination in order to review communications and determine whether there are other people involved. The police are also seeking to establish whether those detained are connected to other extortion cases recorded in Manzanilla and in nearby sectors of Cercado de Lima.
Source: Google News PE — Lima