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Police detain five suspected
of robbing tourists
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Police officers from the Carrillo* station in the
province of Guanacaste arrested five suspected of
robbing tourists.
According to the police report, on Monday the police
received an alert call, about a gang of five people,
two women and three men, who were robbing tourists
in the Penca Beach* in Carrillo.
The alleged gang was moving in a white minibus
around the tourist sites in Carrillo, looking to
steal the belongings of careless tourists, said the
police in its report.
The officers of the units No. 1519 and No. 3175
responded to the complaint call and found a minibus
that matched the description of the minivan in the
alert.
The officers of unit No. 3175, stopped the two men
traveling in the minibus, and after an inspection of
the vehicle, backpacks, credit cards in the name of
foreigners, car keys, and other items that had been
reported stolen were found.
Hours later, officers from unit No. 1519, found the
other alleged members of the gang, two women and a
man, walking near where the minibus was stopped.
All the suspects were sent to the police office in
Carrillo, then after been recognized by one of the
victims of the robbery, the officers arrested the
two women and the three men, as robbery suspects.
The police did not provide the names or nationality
of the suspects, who are apparently all are under 18
years old.
The five suspects were taken to the cells of the
Public Ministry where they were interrogated by the
judicial agents and where they must wait until a
judge orders the pre-trial measures against them.
In February, a similar case happened, as A.M. Costa
Rica previously reported, when the Monteverde* police station in
Puntarenas detained three people, surnamed Suazo,
García, and López, who apparently robbed several
tourists.
Police report that they received an emergency call
about an alleged gang in the Monteverde area who
robbed tourists.
In response to the complaint, the officers made a
patrol review in the area where they found and
detained the suspects, who had backpacks containing
several passports and credit cards of foreign
people, cameras and cash in U.S. dollars and
colones.
After the detention, officers contacted the tourists
who had made the complaint to return the stolen
items. Victims recognized the suspects and signed
the official report.
In that case, the judge ordered pre-trial measures
against the suspects. They are not to leave the
country, to make no contact with the victims, and to
be present at the court to sign an official file.
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Have you heard about gangs targeting tourists in
your community? We would like to know your
thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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