The change of command in the Curimaná rural police stationin the region Ucayaliwhere they went four PNP non-commissioned officers arrestedaccused of collecting bribes from illegal dredge operators in the Aguaytía River, revealed a worrying disappearance: two AKM rifles would have ended up in the hands of organized crime.
The outgoing chief, the incoming chief and other non-commissioned officers were under investigation. Now a new inventory is being carried out to establish the extent of the embezzlement.
It happened on Friday. That day, the AKM automatic rifles, serial 796442 and 646153were reported as ‘disappeared’ inside the police headquarters. One day before, the commissioner, PNP Lieutenant Jair Eduardo Barreto Sotocani, It was declared as not having occurred.
After having escaped, command of the police station was temporarily assigned to the second technical non-commissioned officer. Fredy Manuel Elescano Montes.
Precisely, in that transition it was when it was detected that the rifles were missing. Personnel from the Criminal Investigation Division detained Elescano while they find out when and how the weapons disappeared.
The cases of internal corruption in the PNP generated great concern and annoyance among Justice operators, since, despite the number of officers investigated for corruption, more cases continue to appear of police officers involved in crimes, generating little confidence in citizens.
Proof of this are the numerous actions that the prosecutor’s offices, now in charge of criminal investigations, carry out with special units.
THEY EXTORTED MINERS
In the case of Curimaná, the previous person in charge of the armory, the first non-commissioned officer PNP Jhon Jairo Quintero Vásquezwould have a lot to explain about the management of the weapons depot and the path the AKM followed.
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He is currently detained for the case of charges to illegal miners along with the second PNP non-commissioned officerBryan Christoper Neyra Calderón,third PNP non-commissioned officerKimer Wicler Díaz Sánchezand the third PNP non-commissioned officerÁngel Marina Pita.
Their relatives assure that they are innocent and that they were only obeying superior orders. PNP Lieutenant Jair Barreto is accused of directing these actions.
To everyone’s surprise, this Lieutenant Barreto, who is blamed for everything, appeared on Saturday, in full court, in which nine months of preventive detention is being considered for him and the others involved.
RIFLE USED IN KIDNAPPING?
The crisis in this case is not minor. Intelligence sources reveal that one of the missing rifles could have been used in the kidnapping of the cocoa businessman Carlos Alejo Aponte Caysahuana (31), which occurred on November 19 in the Zúngaro town center (Puerto Inca).
Aponte was found dead. According to investigations, four armed criminals They entered your business posing as police officers, using camouflage clothing and a balaclava to carry out the kidnapping.
Security cameras recorded the moment in which the subjects moved safely through the premises before forcibly taking them away. The population is demanding justice and the capture of those responsible, who would operate simulating police operations.
ANOTHER 4 POLICE FALL IN PIURA
Added to this case of police corruption this week was the arrest of four other bad police officers executed by the Third Office of the Piura Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (FECOF). This intervention is part of a larger operation that targets nine agents that they would have committed serious irregularities while working at the Tambogrande Police Station.
This is the third PNP non-commissioned officer JAMA (28) captured at the Tambogrande police station; of BSMC (30), arrested when trying to flee from the Sullana de Familia police station; of LJJA (32), detained at the Nuevo Sullana police station and FVB (27), captured at his home in Sullana.
During the raid, cell phones, computers, documents and other electronic devices were seized that would be key to reconstructing the modus operandi of those investigated.
The case that set off the alarm was a extortion for S/ 1,450 It occurred on June 10, 2025 in Tambogrande, where the agents allegedly intervened on three young people who were celebrating a birthday.
One of them was taken to the police station and, according to the complaint, coerced with false accusations and threats to remain detained if he did not hand over money to “resolve” his situation.
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The victim ended up handing over S/ 1,450 to obtain his freedom, a fact that would have uncovered an alleged network of abuse of authority and illegal charges.
“THEY WERE THE WRONG CAREER”
These new cases of police corruption show a worrying reality: police stations, spaces intended to protect citizens, are showing cracks generated by bad elements that They disgrace the uniform and deepen distrust.
Regarding this, the head of the Piura Police Region, General Manuel Farías Zapata, expressed his condemnation against the four police officers detained for alleged abuses, stating that “they took the wrong career path” and that they are “turning the uniform into a criminal entity.” Furthermore, he stressed that it was the PNP itself that facilitated the arrest of those investigated, as part of its commitment to purge the institution.
The general also questioned those who allowed him to enter the Police “without due evaluation,” warning that they must also assume responsibilities.
“We don’t have esprit de corps with anyone”, he emphasized.
