Armed robberies target mothers and children in Chile and Argentina

In Maipú, Chile, three armed men broke into a house on Avenida 5 de Abril, bound a mother and her two minor children, and stole valuables and the family car, valued at around 20 million Chilean pesos. No shots were fired and the victims were unharmed, but the incident adds to a series of recent home robberies in the area.

In Los Pinares, Argentina, two militants on a motorcycle threatened a mother and her two daughters as they returned from school, commandeered their pickup truck, and fled with phones and the girls' backpacks. The vehicle was later found abandoned. Both crimes have spurred local calls for increased police presence.

These incidents illustrate a pattern of violent home and vehicle thefts targeting families in both countries.