Disappeared or kidnapped: how to report the case so that the Police can act

During these first weeks of January, several cases of missing persons or those who have suffered kidnapping attempts in different cities of the country have emerged.

Several of these cases have gone viral on social networks, but not all have ended with a formal complaint.

These days there have been known cases of kidnapping attempts in the Alborada and Samborondón area. In these cases it has been reported that individuals dressed as police have stopped drivers to apparently try to carry out kidnappings. One of these episodes was recorded on video, but only viral chats are known about the other that alarmed residents of Samborondón citadels.

Man who disappeared in Samborondón was located by the Police in a hotel in the center of Guayaquil

Also, in the last few hours, another case became known: that of a man from Samborondón who was missing, and the thesis that he could have been kidnapped for extortion is even being considered.

The Police insist that, in cases of disappearances or possible suspicions of kidnappings, an alert be made or a formal complaint be filed so that the units can act, as the case may be.

And this because, in some cases, the disappearances of people are not always linked to kidnappings for extortion, but to other matters.

In the last case, that of the disappearance of a man in Samborondón, the man’s partner had filed a complaint for alleged kidnapping for extortion when he had gone for a walk on Samborondón avenue.

Police prepare a uniform that will contain a QR code and badge for greater identification in cases of false agents who commit crimes

In the complaint, she explained that Rafael M. had gone out in sportswear to walk at km 7 of the Samborondón road, and that he planned to meet with another relative afterwards. She didn’t make it to that appointment or come home.

The Police detected that there were no ransom calls that would suggest a kidnapping. For this reason, a follow-up was carried out and the man was located in a hotel.

After locating him, the individual stated that his disappearance was not a matter of kidnapping and that he had left his home due to economic problems. He apparently had a debt and wanted to take refuge to avoid compromising his family.

When the Police detect that there are no extortion calls that point to a kidnapping, the case goes to the disappeared unit and not directly to Unase.

Fabary Montalvo, deputy commander of Zone 8 of the Police, explained that for Unase to be activated there must be phone calls in which there is a threat, amount of money or demand by the victim.

“The main thing is to remain calm and file a complaint to redirect the unit, be it kidnapping or disappearance, in order to find the whereabouts,” he said.

the fake cops

One modality that criminals are applying for kidnappings or robberies is to act as if they were policemen in operations: they stop a car and try to subdue the driver.

Fabary Montalvo indicated that police operations are never carried out individually. Controls are generally carried out with at least four elements, with patrol cars and motorcycles with identified insignia.

In the video that went viral a few days ago, a single man can be seen dressed as a police officer.

Montalvo indicated that if people see a single policeman stopping vehicles, as if it were an operation, they should report the situation.

General Fausto Salinas, General Commander of the Police, also mentioned that they are preparing a uniform that will contain a QR code that can be scanned to obtain the information of the uniformed person.

The uniform will also have a badge for better identification, the general said.

This would also be done for patrol cars and motorcycles. The police chief spoke of putting serial numbers on them that are visible and that can be captured by security cameras.

The Minister of the Interior, Juan Zapata, asked the governor of Guayas, Lorenzo Calvas, to carry out control operations in the stores and warehouses where the uniforms are sold. (YO)