Police in southern Paraguay have arrested Fernando Barrionuevo Urbaneja and his son Aitor Barrionuevo Guirao on suspicion of double murder. The two Spanish nationals, from Granollers near Barcelona, are accused of killing two men and attempting to murder a third during a fake gold transaction.
National Police sources told news agency EFE on Friday that the incident occurred on Thursday in Encarnación, the capital of Itapúa department on the border with Argentina. Commissioner Javier Flores, head of the Investigation of Punishable Acts Direction, said the father and son led three Paraguayan men to a house inside a local recreational park under the guise of delivering gold.
According to police, the victims had agreed to pay approximately 370 million guaraníes, or nearly 54,000 euros, for the metal. Once inside the house, the suspects allegedly bound the three buyers and opened fire on them to steal the cash. Two of the Paraguayan men died at the scene, while the third survived by pretending to be dead before escaping to seek help.
Fake Gold and Seized Assets
Flores said the suspects did not possess real gold, but had instead brought stones and golden minerals intended to pass off as the precious metal. Following the shooting, police raided the residence where the two men were hiding.
According to details published on Friday by Paraguayan newspaper ABC, officers seized identity documents confirming Spanish citizenship, along with a safe, computers, two Rolex watches, cash, and fragments of suspected gold.
Additional Arrests
Flores also confirmed that three Bolivian nationals were taken into custody while police investigate whether they are linked to the crime. Local media identified them as Luis Andrés Uriarte Gutiérrez, Scheila Liz Magno Mosay, and Beihit Eugenia Gutiérrez Piza. Two of the individuals are female partners of the Catalan suspects, while the third is an accompanying man.
Police said the surviving victim explicitly identified both Spanish men as those responsible for the crime. Authorities subsequently confirmed their identities through official queries with relevant agencies.
