Agents from the National Police Investigations Department detained a gang that authorities say focused on stealing luxury watches in Asunción and the metropolitan area. The group includes a Venezuelan national and several Paraguayans, and is believed to have attacked former senator Armando Espínola, as well as a foreigner who had recently arrived in the country.
Commissioner Wilfrido Maldonado said the unit received three complaints and carried out the investigation that led to the arrests. "We have no doubt that these are the people committing these crimes," he stated.
The modus operandi described by police involved monitoring victims at airports and shopping malls, following them, and then staging a traffic accident on public roads. When the driver got out of the vehicle, the criminals took the opportunity to steal the watch. In the former senator's case, a motorcycle hit his car in front of his residence; when he got out, he was overpowered and the item was taken.
During the operation, two motorcycles and a Toyota Duet car were seized. Police suspect the stolen watches were resold abroad, with buyers in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, and the United States. To bypass financial controls, the gang allegedly used payment systems such as Pix and cryptocurrencies.
"We are working with other police units to dismantle this gang, which has several criminal acts in its history," Maldonado added.