Police arrests alleged robbers including a Peruvian in Maputo

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Police arrests alleged robbers including a Peruvian in Maputo

8:59 CAT | 17 Jan 2017

CoM (file photo)

Ten citizens have been in police custody in Maputo since last week accused of involvement in a series of armed robberies. One of them is 49-year-old Peruvian Julio Leon, long sought by Interpol.

The operation detaining the ten also recovered five firearms and a car, registration AFX 686 MC, allegedly used by the gang.

According to police spokesman Orlando Mudumane, the men are members of three gangs that specialized in car theft, burglaries and business premises break-ins.

Of the five firearms, two were handed over voluntarily by wives of the detained individuals during a campaign to collect illegal firearms, Mudumane said.

Last week, Bernardino Rafael, PRM Commander in Maputo, appealed again to individuals who own illegal firearms to hand them in.

“Give back the weapons, we want them secure in our hands,” he said. The municipality of Maputo city also asked those with legally licensed firearms to surrender them for forensic examination so as to establish when they were last fired and why.

Mudumane said the Peruvian Julio Leon was detained at Maputo international airport stealing luggage. His two accomplices fled and escaped. The gang had specialized in this type of crime in hotels and at airports across Africa.

According to Mudumane, Leon regularly carried a suitcase full of papers which he swapped with another person’s luggage. In order to accomplish this purpose, he would position himself close to his victim. Interpol initially reported the case to the Mozambican police.

Source: A verdade