A dangerous gang was dismantled this Monday after an extensive police operation. Those involved, who are between 18 and 27 years old, tried to enter homes in City Bell and Gonnet a few minutes apart.
A criminal organization accused of committing trespassing was dismantled this Monday in the northern area of La Plata. The arrest was achieved after a lock operation motivated by two frustrated robbery attempts in City Bell and Gonnet, which were recorded within a short time of each other. The procedure was carried out by local troops, the Patrol Command and the Operational Tactical Group (GTO).
According to the investigators’ reconstruction, the first incident took place at a home located on 20th and 483rd Street. There, four armed men tried to enter the property after scaling a perimeter wall. However, when they realized that they had been detected by the location’s security cameras, they gave up the action and fled. The victim of this first attempt was a 68-year-old retiree.
A few minutes later, the same suspects allegedly moved to a home located at 9 and 491, in Gonnet’s jurisdiction. On this occasion, they tried to force a door and a gate to enter the property where a 52-year-old auctioneer resides. However, the quick reaction of the owner and the activation of the alarm system thwarted the assault again.
Persecution and arrest this Monday
As a result of the calls to 911, the Buenos Aires Police deployed a lock operation at strategic points in the northern area of the city. During the search, the officers spotted a white Volkswagen Up that matched the description provided by the victims.
Upon noticing the police presence, the driver of the vehicle accelerated, starting a chase for several blocks. The pursuit culminated on 494th Street, between 3rd and 4th, where the car lost control and fell into a ditch. At that site, the security forces proceeded to capture the four occupants: a 27-year-old man, two 23-year-olds (one of them Bolivian nationality) and an 18-year-old young man.
Kidnapped items and background
When checking the interior of the vehicle, the police personnel found a Bersa Thunder 9 millimeter caliber pistol with the numbering partially removed, eleven intact cartridges and a homemade «tumbera» type weapon. In addition, four pairs of gloves, two balaclavas, two polar collars, plastic seals, a metal bar, cutting tools, a serrated blade knife, cell phones, caps, a backpack and two license plates that were presumably used to change the identity of the vehicle were seized.
Those involved were charged with «robbery qualified by the use of a firearm, by burglary, in a town and in a gang», in two attempted acts, and for «illegal carrying of a weapon of war.» As confirmed by sources linked to the investigation, at least three of the detainees have criminal records for cases processed in the judicial departments of La Plata, San Isidro and La Matanza.
Continuity of the investigation
The criminal investigation is still ongoing and it is not ruled out that the gang may have participated in other robberies under the same modality recently perpetrated in La Plata, City Bell, Gonnet and surrounding areas. In order to clarify the scope of the organization, Justice ordered the technical analysis of the confiscated cell phones, the patents found and the rest of the seized material. The four accused are in judicial custody and will be investigated in the next few hours.
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