Paraguay police detain woman for allegedly staging kidnapping

Paraguayan authorities have detained a 24-year-old woman, Zunilda Benítez, following an investigation into a suspected staged kidnapping. The incident began after Benítez’s sister, residing in Spain, filed a report in San Pedro regarding the disappearance of her sibling.

Investigators from the Anti-Kidnapping Department traced communications and located Benítez at a residence in Atyrá. During the operation, police also detained 28-year-old Gabriel Martínez, who is suspected of being an accomplice. Evidence suggests the woman sent videos of herself handcuffed and masked to her family to demand ransom payments ranging between 80 million and 100 million guaraníes.

Police officials stated that the woman was found unharmed and that current evidence points toward a self-kidnapping simulation. Authorities seized mobile phones and clothing during the raid, and the Public Ministry is continuing its investigation to determine the full extent of the involvement of those detained.