Two police officers and one civilian died during an armed attack on Police Post No. 4 in the Naranjito colony, Ybyrarobaná district, Canindeyú department, on Tuesday night. Sub-Officer Víctor Raúl Gavilán was shot, survived, and was transferred to the Rigoberto Caballero Police Hospital in Asunción, where his condition is reported as stable.
The Minister of the Interior, Enrique Riera, described the attack as "cowardly and cruel" and promised a forceful response from the state. He stated that the investigation is following two main lines of inquiry: the possible involvement of the self-styled armed group Paraguayan People's Army (EPP) or of organized crime groups operating in the region.
The Commander of the National Police, César Silguero, highlighted the disparity in forces, with only five to six police officers facing an estimated group of 20 to 30 men in camouflage and armed with assault rifles. The attackers set fire to the police station and the vehicles parked at the site before fleeing on foot towards a pasture area.
The Attorney General, Emiliano Rolón, assigned a special team from the Public Ministry to investigate the case, including prosecutors Lorenzo Lezcano and Federico Delfino from the Specialized Unit for Crimes Against Personal Liberty and Terrorism. Prosecutor Óscar Paredes, in charge of the initial investigation, stated that no hypothesis is being ruled out, including the possible participation of the group led by Felipe Santiago Acosta, known as "Macho."
Riera suggested the attack could be a response to recent successful anti-narcotics operations in the region, which resulted in the seizure of nine tons of drugs and the detention of involved criminal leaders. He acknowledged that the government urgently needs to invest in improvements to the infrastructure of the country's 1,200 police stations.
The attack has reignited questions about the effectiveness of "Operation Responsum," announced by the government a month ago, which promised a tactical alliance between police and armed forces for a faster and more efficient response to organized crime.