Peru: Police say investigation advances, several people detained in Trujillo kidnapping

14:00 | Trujillo (La Libertad region), Aug. 31.

La Libertad Region Police chief, National Police General Ricardo Espinoza, reported that updates on the kidnapping of businessman Jenss Marty Lara Tantaquilla and the murder of his four companions will be presented in the coming hours.

The incident occurred in the early hours of August 30 on Husares de Junin Avenue, in downtown Trujillo, La Libertad region, northern Peru.

According to the officer, the case is well advanced. They are only completing some procedures before presenting the results of the actions carried out on Sunday night and in the early hours of today.

"Please wait a couple of hours before we present updates on the case. We have made important arrests and seizures," Espinoza said.

However, he did not specify whether businessman Lara Tantaquilla had been released by his captors after paying a large sum of money, as has been rumored since the early hours.

Nor did he confirm whether the Peruvian National Police had managed to secure his release.

Defense Minister Rafael Belaunde met early with senior police commanders, including the Peruvian National Police Commander General Oscar Arriola; Criminal Investigation Directorate Chief, Police General Victor Revoredo; and La Libertad Region Police Chief, General Ricardo Espinoza.

The Chairman of Congress' Chamber of Deputies, Oscar Reto, is also in the northern city.

The incident

In the early hours of Sunday, August 30, criminals wearing uniforms, vests, and helmets from the Special Group Against Organized Crime (Grecco), and armed with long-range weapons, intercepted a Raptor pickup truck at the intersection of Husares de Junín Avenue and Isabel de Bobadilla.

Four men got out of the purported police vehicle and asked the occupants for their documents.

After confirming that the target was in the vehicle, they ordered Lara Quintanilla to get out. When his security personnel refused, the criminals chose to kill them instead.

They then removed the allegedly injured Lara Quintanilla from the vehicle and took him away in an unknown direction.

Hours later, it was learned that the criminals used silencers to kill the victims, whose families are demanding justice.

The deceased victims were identified as Christopher Garcia Alvarez, 32; Luis Alberto Rojas Ramos, approximately 35; Andrea Monzon Lingan; and Nadia Urtecho Rodriguez.