Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

What can seem to be a simple and innocent banking operation can turn into the beginning of a nightmare, said reporters for El Comercio newspaper when explaining that bands of criminals in Lima were targeting specific people coming out of banks or using ATM machines.

This was the case of three people that lost their lives in the districts of Chorrillos and La Victoria this past week after thieves mugged them.
 
As opposed to thieves who randomly rob people on the street, Peru's national police have confirmed there are several gangs operating in Lima which study and choose their "marks" at banks and outside financial establishments.

One criminal chooses a person who has made a large withdrawal and notifies accomplices outside the bank who follow the mark on motorcycles or in cars, said police, explaining this was the most common way thieves chose their victims.

According to police statistics, at least twelve of these types of robberies are reported every month.

While the national police have reported that they have arrested the members of twenty-three of these gangs, it is believed that another twenty are still in full operation.

These gangs are from Callao, San Juan de Lurigancho and Surquillo, said police, stating the gangs targeted people at Plaza Lima Sur and Megaplaza shopping centers.

Furthermore, it was reported that criminals looked for victims carrying between 8,000 and 40,000 soles.