El Alto, Bolivia: Police Rescue Two Kidnapping Victims

On June 21, 2013 La Razón reported that authorities arrested in El Alto have apprehended three people involved in the kidnapping of two 17-year-old girls. The girls were rescued from the O’Higgins lodging house, where they supposedly remained locked up for two days on the third floor of the building. The suspects allegedly allowed the girls to enter the lodging house after promising them a ride to Caranavi, while secretly planning to traffic them to Brazil. The case is being investigated for possible pimping or trafficking, with police requesting a forensic examination to see if the victims were sexually abused.

During the operation, police arrested the lodging manager, Justina B., who revealed that the girls were being held captive by Bernabé M., alias Tío Willy. Police also apprehended another 17-year-old girl who allegedly made the contact between the teenagers and the trafficker. Read Article