Beware: they denounce dangerous modality with which they steal in the Park Way of Bogotá

This November 21, a woman identified as Laura Carolina He denounced through Twitter the situation that was occurring, in recent weeks, in the Park Way, a very popular residential and commercial mall in the town of Teusaquillo, in Bogotá.

“A few weeks ago I heard from several well-known cases of people who are patching by the PW and are thrown by Teusaquillo without their belongings and confused”, Laura expressed.

The woman also related the modus operandi used by criminals.

“This is a band that cajoles people who are hanging out with their friends. They gain trust and offer a drink. Apparently they put scopolamine in the drink “, added.

Laura said that two men approached her and a group of friends one night when they were near the Almirante Padilla Monument.

“We sat down with my boyfriend and some friends to eat a hamburger at Almirante Padilla at around 11 pm and immediately some guys arrived. There were two of them, they sat next to us and began to speak to us with confidence ”, counted.

According to the testimony, one of the men played the guitar and the other sang.

“From one moment to the next PUM offer a drink. We said no and we got ready to leave. The guy realized that I was uncomfortable “added Laura.

Fortunately, the woman already knew the strategy of the thieves and immediately alerted her friends and they left the place.

When they saw that the group of young people did not receive the liquor, the thieves, who also according to the woman were drugged, began to speak loudly among themselves, and they could hear phrases such as “They will not fall”, “they realized”, “let’s wait to see if they receive.

Finally, the woman invited citizens to report this type of act so that the authorities can catch the criminals.

The safety balance of the district administration

At the beginning of November, The mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López, and her Secretary of Security, Hugo Acero, agreed that crime figures have decreased in the country’s capital, except for bicycle theft and homicides, which are problematic issues for the current administration.

“It just came to our knowledge then. Homicide has risen, but we want to close the year by lowering this figure. We believe that we can do it, but, unfortunately, bicycle theft will close the year with an increase ”, commented the city president, assuring that Bogotá is not in a security crisis.

The clarification was made taking into account that, in the most recent weeks, after the murder of Oswaldo Muñoz in a TransMilenio article, Bogotans have reported that they feel more insecure because daily, on social networks and the media, videos are seen denouncing violent thefts in the city.

In an interview with the newspaper El Espectador, the Secretary of Security explained what the main concerns of the city are in his portfolio and how they are working to reduce, not only the perception of insecurity, but also the theft of bicycles and massive robberies in the public transport.

Hugo Acero, assured the newspaper that, during the pandemic, they have “We found some young people on the issue of bicycle theft and we did not find large structures but small gangs that steal to sell and get for consumption”He added that there are micro-trafficking structures and that more than 10,000 jobs have been created from the District so that these young people have an income without resorting to crime.

Regarding the theft of bicycles, the official reported that the presence of agents of the National Police in the bicycle paths has been strengthened, going from 315 uniformed to 520. Acero indicated that they are carrying out an initiative of local security fronts “Along the bike paths, in conjunction with the commercial sector, shops and neighbors, distributing information with security measures, making recommendations and creating closeness with shopkeepers.”

The Secretary of Security commented that, although the groups of cyclists in the city are quite critical of their management, they provide them with all the information they need to improve safety in the city and, especially, with the problems that afflict those who use it daily. the bicycle to get around the capital.

Acero highlighted that they have done hard work to dismantle groups that are dedicated to theft of bicycles to sell them on the black market, he assured that, In less than a week, they managed to dismantle five of these criminal groups. “For the first time a prosecutor was assigned to theft of bicycles. There are specialized for cars, motorcycles, cell homicides, but bicycles did not have an allowance. That allows us to do a broader criminal investigation “said the official.

The concern of the authorities, as Hugo Acero told El Espectador, is that these criminals are not only robbing users on the streets of the city, but they have already arrested several who forcibly enter the places where they sell these vehicles and leave them empty. “We are on the trail of these criminal structures. Sometimes they make it easy for us because they distribute the bike and they give us information somewhere “, he assured.

Bicycle theft, according to information from the Mayor’s Office, shot up 35.8% compared to 2019, when 6,589 thefts occurred. This year the figure goes to 8,951, with 2,362 new registrations. In October, the British daily The Guardian referred to Bogotá as “the death capital of the world” for its high rates of bicycle theft. Acero rejected this headline saying it was unfair. “I think they mix figures and do not make adequate use of them,” he said.

According to the information shared by the secretary Hugo Acero to the Colombian media, the areas where there are more stores that sell stolen bicycles are “Suba, Kennedy, Chapinero, Bosa and on July 20. We have seen that today bicycle theft has been reduced in Chapinero, Teusaquillo and Mártires. However, the crime has moved us to towns in the southwest of the city such as Bosa, Kennedy, Fontibón and a part of Engativá and Suba ”.

The secretary recalled that there is a platform of the Mayor’s Office, “similar to Mercado Libre” in which they publish the photos of the bicycles that the authorities are recovering from the thieves. On that page, those who have been victims of crime could be lucky enough to get their vehicles back.

“I have to admit that there are unfortunate events, such as murders on public roads, in public transport for theft. I cannot ignore that. But we have to take into account that before the daily average of robberies was 346, this year it is 216, which is still a lot, but it is a significant reduction “Steel said to the middle.

Regarding the thefts in TransMilenio that concern citizens, the official said that the theft of cell phones has been focused on the articles and that there are stations that do not have the necessary security.

“We have reinforced the undercover police that travels in the articulated. In addition, in February we managed to put 50 motorized police officers who move along the trunk roads where vehicles travel and by motorcycles arrive to make searches, check and take care of “Steel pointed out.

The official also referred to recent cases of homicides that have puzzled the authorities and citizens, such as the man who murdered his mother and the woman who appeared dead in San Cristóbal, both with results of the capture of those responsible. “Of the other cases that have been found in bags, we do not yet have the whereabouts of those responsible. What we have identified is that not all of them are related to criminal organizations and that, therefore, there is no relationship between them. “

The Mayor’s Office of Bogotá revealed that homicides in the city increased this year, from 823 to 835 compared to 2019. The growth rate was 1.5%. Specifically, the Secretary of Security, Hugo Acero, specified that, in October, the figures also grew, since last year 80 homicides were registered in October and this year they were 82.

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