Police in Bolivia have arrested Jhonsson Cruz Torres, the leader of a Peruvian criminal gang who faked his own death and mutilated kidnap victims to extort ransoms.
Cruz Torres, known as "Jhonsson Pulpo", was identified by his signature methods after a group of men disguised as police officers kidnapped businessman Jenss Lara Tantaquilla and murdered four of his friends. The attackers sent photographs to Lara's family and threatened to cut him into pieces if a ransom was not paid.
Cruz Torres, born in Trujillo in June 1996, comes from a family with extensive police records, including his grandfather Teofilo Cruz Alvarez, known as "Father", his father Jhon Cruz Arce, and his uncles Miller, Nilton and Eddy. He founded the Los Pulpos Nueva Generacion gang to continue the family's criminal tradition.
Market murder
Police first recorded Cruz Torres committing a murder on Thursday, March 12, 2020. Security cameras at the El Progreso market in Trujillo filmed him shooting 60-year-old trader Juliana Eustaquio Gonzales in the head.
He stole a bag from the woman containing 20,000 soles. Hours later, he was filmed drinking alcohol, dancing and holding the bag while the victim's family held a wake.
Police arrested his accomplice, Jhonatan Quispe Orbegoso, known as "Yachi", who confirmed Cruz Torres' identity. Both men were sentenced to life in prison, but Cruz Torres remained on the run.
Faked death
In August 2020, Cruz Torres registered a fake death certificate with the national registry to evade capture.
According to a police source involved in the search, he operated using fake identities and travelled to Chile and Bolivia to prepare for major crimes. He also underwent facial surgeries to alter his appearance.
The police source said the anonymity allowed him to consolidate his position as gang leader and recruit young people who used new technologies for extortion, kidnapping and land trafficking.
On January 4, 2021, the gang kidnapped 61-year-old construction and transport businessman Luis Huamanchumo Salvatierra outside his home in the Victor Larco Herrera district of Trujillo. When his family refused to pay, Cruz Torres cut off Huamanchumo's right earlobe with a penknife and sent a video demanding 270,000 dollars. Huamanchumo was murdered and buried clandestinely after the family did not respond.
In November 2021, the gang kidnapped 25-year-old Alan Rios Guevara, the son of a former El Porvenir municipal councillor and poultry businesswoman, from his shop at the Siete de Junio market. Cruz Torres demanded 500,000 dollars and sent Rios' mother a video of his left earlobe being cut off. Rios was released 14 days later after a 300,000 sol payment.
Fake police
On April 15, 2022, three men posing as police officers in a white truck with cloned license plates intercepted and kidnapped university student Marco Negreiros Castillo while he was driving with his girlfriend in Huanchaco. Cruz Torres demanded a one million sol ransom, cut off the victim's earlobes and sent a recording to his mother.
A group of men posing as police officers kidnapped 75-year-old Manuel Rodriguez Cruzado, the father of a former provincial mayor of Julcan, from his car wash in Trujillo on June 24, 2022. The gang demanded two million soles. Rodriguez was found strangled and buried in a ditch in the Las Delicias resort of Moche two months later.
On November 15, 2022, three men wearing police vests kidnapped 43-year-old shop owner Nilda Arrascue Espinoza and demanded one million soles. She was rescued by a police anti-kidnapping team led by Colonel Franco Moreno Panta, who arrested several gang members.
The gang kidnapped businessman Ivan Diaz Garrido using police vests on October 23, 2023. They cut off three fingers on his right hand when his family resisted paying a one million sol ransom. Cruz Torres released him 11 days later after a partial payment.
Gang arrests
Cruz Torres was previously arrested for illicit association on October 23, 2016, but was released shortly after.
Police anti-kidnapping teams have arrested 35 members of the gang in various operations, including Cruz Torres' partner Keysi Salvaterra Vigo, the mother of his youngest daughter.
The gang operates across the La Libertad region, including in El Porvenir, Huanchaco, Alto Trujillo, Salaverry, Moche and Trujillo.
