Arequipa police patrol robbery results in arrests of officers and civilians

On 1 July, a patrol vehicle of the Andrés Avelino Cáceres police station in the Hunter district of Arequipa was ambushed and an AKM rifle and two Beretta pistols were stolen. Prosecutors say the crime was pre‑planned, using a fake emergency to lure the vehicle to a vacant area. Sub‑officer Leonardo Lastarria Llasa, initially presented as a victim, was found to have facilitated the attackers.

A judicial order authorized raids in the districts of Cerro Colorado and Hunter. Police detained Lastarria, as well as three civilians—Fredy Reynaldo Pascual Arapa, Víctor Anthony Machaca Paja, and Axel Fernando Orellana Melo—identified as members of the criminal gang “Los ranqueados de Hunter.” A fourth police officer, Junior Pineda Del Pino, remains at large under a seven‑day detention order. Four suspects are now in custody while authorities continue investigations to determine the full extent of participation and to recover the stolen weapons.