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🇪🇨 Ecuador /Crime & Justice

Eight Youths Kidnapped and Assaulted in Riobamba, Ecuador

From El Comercio · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Under investigation
  • Eight minors were violently assaulted and kidnapped in Riobamba, Ecuador, on the night of July 9, 2026.
  • Armed individuals threatened the youths, stole their belongings, and forced them into a vehicle before releasing them two hours later.
  • Authorities are investigating the incident, which involved physical and psychological trauma for the victims, with no arrests made so far.

Eight young people suffered a violent assault and kidnapping in Riobamba, Ecuador, on the night of July 9, 2026. The incident occurred at the Ciudad Balboa viewpoint in the northern part of the city, in Chimborazo province. Authorities are investigating the event that kept the families of the affected minors in suspense for several hours.

The objective was to subdue the victims through threats to obtain their belongings, specifically the access codes to their mobile phones.

— AuthoritiesDescribing the attackers' primary goal during the assault.

According to authorities, the attackers, who approached on foot, used firearms including a pistol, a revolver, a shotgun, and also wielded knives. They threatened the youths to steal their belongings, specifically demanding access codes to their mobile phones. During the struggle, one minor was injured in the arm while trying to escape, and others were beaten with the butt of a shotgun to force compliance.

One of the minors was injured in an arm after falling while trying to escape.

— ReportDetailing the physical harm sustained by one of the victims.

After being held for approximately two hours, the eight minors were released in the Licán sector. They managed to seek refuge and contact their families. The victims received immediate medical attention and psychological support at the Riobamba General Teaching Hospital. Two of them sustained physical injuries from the assault and the stress of the event.

Others were beaten with the butt of a shotgun to force them to yield to the demands of the attackers.

— ReportExplaining the violent methods used by the perpetrators.

The operational response was coordinated by the Chimborazo Governorate, involving the Intendancy and the National Police. Governor María José del Pozo Larrea ordered immediate actions, including deploying the Armed Forces for arms control operations in various city areas. The Prosecutor's Office is collecting testimonies from the minors and their families to advance the investigation. While preliminary versions about the suspects' nationality have circulated, authorities are withholding details on the identities of those involved. No arrests have been made, and the Judicial Police are continuing efforts to locate those responsible for the assault.

The eight young people were released in the Licán sector.

— ReportStating the location and circumstances of the victims' release.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Comercio in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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