The authorities confirmed the dismantling of ‘Los Cat’, a feared criminal structure known for deceiving networks with the marketing of construction machinery, and then kidnapping, torturing and extorting potential buyers, and then torture and extort them.
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As a result of this police action, two firearms, three suppliers, a private vehicle, 500 grams of marijuana, two computers, two hard drives, a communication radio and five items of clothing linked to a criminal act that occurred in March 2023.
Operations were carried out in three cities in the country.
Photo:AFP
It should be taken into account that those captured have judicial records for the crimes of homicide, illegal possession of Firearmsdrug trafficking, domestic violence and kidnapping for ransom.
In addition, they were left at the disposal of the Attorney General’s Office, and a judge of Guarantee Control He imposed an intramural security measure on them for the crimes of kidnapping for ransom with the aggravating circumstance of torture, conspiracy to commit a crime and qualified theft.
This is how ‘Los Cat’ operated
“The main characteristic had to be that they would be found in other cities so that they would have to travel to the capital of Valle del Cauca, where they were held against their will in exchange for financial demands that ranged between 100 and 300 million pesos,” details the police report.
Recently, the Metropolitan Police was strengthened.
Photo:Courtesy Metropolitan Police
This ‘modus operandi’ was confirmed by at least eight of the victims who reported the incident and stated that the criminal organization gained the trust of the victims and then house them in homes where the supposed negotiations would take place.
“It was established that they rented houses in residential sectors and properties in rural areas to hide them and carry out extortion. In some cases they contacted relatives by sending them images of the victims with signs of violence and torture. In others, they toured the banking sectorss with the victims themselves until they get the money demanded,” the authorities detail.
The investigation also determined that in the cities of Bogotá and Medellín there were two women who had the function of being the collectors and to whom the families had to send the money resulting from the extortion. Both were captured.
Meanwhile, alias ‘Papa’ was captured in the Santa Mónica neighborhood, in charge of planning, coordinating and organizing the gang’s criminal activities. “This man had a scheme of personal securitywho were captured in flagrante delicto for illegal possession of firearms,” details the National Police.
