Asunción Burglars Have a “Free Run” Amid Weak Night Police Patrols

In Asunción, vehicle burglars known as tortoleros are finding a “free run” at night, according to a report citing weak police control across the capital.

Several parked vehicles have been targeted in recent days. One victim was lawyer Federico Gaspar Campos López Moreira, 55, who reported that thieves broke the rear left window of his black Toyota Land Cruiser on José Pappalardo Street in the Ytay neighborhood.

The thieves took a gray Apple tablet, a black bulletproof vest, a wireless keyboard, a tactical shoulder bag, a tactical knife, a tactical flashlight, a black tactical glove and two pistol magazines. Police officers from the local station and specialized units went to the scene after the complaint.

Another break-in was reported in the early hours of Friday by Luis Carlos Alberto Igarzábal Ayala, 37. He had left his vehicle on Mallorquín Street near Taruma in the Nazareth neighborhood while attending a gathering with friends. When he returned, he found that a window had been smashed and that checks and various documents had been stolen.

Police sources told ABC Color that patrol cars effectively disappear from the streets during the night and early morning, especially in the capital. They said the lack of patrols encourages robberies and street assaults by “chespis,” or addicts, while tortoleros exploit the limited nighttime control to operate in residential neighborhoods.