Police recover 35 million guaraníes stolen from petrol station in Sajonia and detain three suspects
Three men were detained following an armed robbery at a service station manager's office in the Sajonia neighbourhood of Asunción. Police recovered all the stolen money.
Vehicle chase, gunfire and three detained following petrol station robbery in Asunción
The National Police recovered 35,014,000 guaraníes stolen from the manager of a service station in the Sajonia neighbourhood of Asunción, according to ultimahora.com. Three men were arrested following a vehicle pursuit and an exchange of gunfire with uniformed officers.
Commissioner Rubén Bazán, head of the 1st Metropolitan Police Station, detailed at a press conference on Monday afternoon that one of the detainees is Cristian Manuel Centurión Ramírez, who has two arrest warrants for aggravated robbery: one issued by prosecutor Sofía Galeano, from Unit 8 in Luque, and another by judge Ana María Estela Esquivel, from the Criminal Guarantees Court of the Third Shift in Lambaré.
The other two men captured were identified as Nelson Roa Benítez, with a record for theft from 2021, and Hernán Benítez, with no previous criminal history.
CCTV footage reveals moment of robbery
Closed-circuit cameras recorded the exact moment of the theft: the manager exits the service station carrying a rucksack with money from the weekend's takings, intended to be deposited at a bank. At that instant, two people exit a vehicle, seize the rucksack and board the car again. Seconds later, a police patrol arrives at the scene.
"The manager pointed out the vehicle and that is when the pursuit began," Commissioner Bazán stated.
Request for backup and gunfire in the neighbourhood
The Director of Asunción Police, Commissioner Francisco Ávalos, explained that patrol officers requested reinforcements from the 1st Metropolitan Police Station after alerting about the rapid departure of a vehicle whose occupants displayed "quite defiant conduct". The alert was broadcast by radio to all uniformed officers in the area and to a group of police commanders who were in a meeting.
The pursuit ended in the Sajonia neighbourhood, in the area of the Itá Pytã Punta viewpoint, known as "La favela", where an exchange of gunfire took place between the suspects and officers deployed in several patrol cars. No persons were injured in the confrontation.
The three occupants of the vehicle—a grey Toyota Funcargo—exited and went into "a maze of alleyways" in the sector. One of them was arrested in that location: he was carrying the manager's rucksack with bundles of money and the victim's belongings.
Two suspects found in a cave on the banks of the river
After the arrest of the first suspect, officers extended the search towards the Paraguay River bank, where they located the other two suspects hiding in a cave. "These people fired at police officers, but the weapons they had were not found, probably thrown somewhere in the area," Ávalos stated.
The vehicle used in the robbery had been reported as stolen at the 15th Barcequillo Police Station in San Lorenzo on 3 October. Additionally, it bore a registration plate belonging to another vehicle that was not recorded as stolen in the Motor Vehicle Registry.
The National Police confirmed the recovery of the entire amount stolen. The three detainees were placed at the disposal of the Public Ministry.
Source: Google News PY — Asunción