Ecuador: Govt to reimburse victims in vehicle accidents for stolen items

ELDIARIO.COM.EC reported: Cellphones, suitcases and vehicle accessories are the objects that are most robbed most of those who suffer accidents on the streets of Manta, the prosecutor said.

Prosecutor Ginger Messias, who investigates Tránsito’s crimes and misdemeanors, reported that those thefts are recorded because the drivers leave the vehicles and at other times the injured are disoriented.
She said that when registering an accident arrive the curious, and some, instead of helping the victims, are coming to remove the radio, emergency tire and even the personal documents of those affected.
The prosecutor revealed that this happens frequently, but, as the victims do not file the complaint, in the end they end up investigating only the causes of the accidents.
An example of that happened in San Mateo, when they robbed the cell phone of a foreigner who died in an accident.
This year the prosecution filed three investigations for theft of accessories in accidents, and the proceedings were closed because the injured reached a compromise with those involved.
The plan. Prosecutor Paco Delgado also investigates the accidents, and said that among the most stolen objects is the cell phone.
The Interior Minister, Diego Fuentes, launched a reward scheme against theft of people who suffer accidents.
“No crime is less important, and that is why we will eradicate shoplifting,” the official wrote on Twitter.
This plan comes as a response to the loss of luggage and cell phones from a group of foreign tourists who on August 16 suffered an accident in the province of Santa Elena. That is why the theft was included in the Rewards Plan, and the person who gives information about those crimes can receive up to 20 thousand dollars. To make the complaint you can call 1800-335486 (CRIME).
However, Delgado suggests that the theft be included in the Comprehensive Criminal Organic Code (COIP) as an aggravating factor, because currently the theft of goods in traffic accidents is not established by law.

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This year, 723 accidents were recorded in Manta, Montecristi and Jaramijó.
The agents of the Municipal Traffic Office reported that when a collision occurs the first thing they do is to preserve the scene to avoid the robbery of the belongings. On average, there are two accidents per day. Read Article