Extortion couple accused in fire that killed 10 in La Victoria

A devastating fire in La Victoria has claimed the lives of 10 people, with authorities accusing a couple involved in extortion of starting the blaze. Farid Ramos and his partner Jílari Vílchez, who operate a mototaxi service, allegedly refused to pay a daily protection fee to an extortionist known as 'La China'.

“

They told us that she (Yessenia Ureta) wanted to charge two soles per moto. She wanted to charge in the mornings, in the afternoons, and then at night.

The extortionist, identified as Yessenia Ureta Vargas, demanded a daily payment of S/2 per shift, totaling S/6 per day, for each mototaxi. When Ramos and Vílchez refused and reportedly had a physical altercation with Vargas, the situation escalated. This refusal is believed to be the catalyst for the deadly arson.

The fire erupted on July 22, 2026, engulfing a residence and workshop where the Vílchez family manufactured mattresses. The highly flammable materials stored on-site caused the fire to spread with terrifying speed. Among the deceased were Jílari Vílchez's father, Leónidas Vílchez Moscoso, her siblings José, Paola, and Orestes Vílchez Cuadros, her sister-in-law Katleen Gómez Cuello, and five young nieces and nephews.

“

The girl (Yessenia Ureta) told my cousin Miguel Vílchez's partner that the payback would be worse, even with bombs, they told her. That happened on July 15. They sent someone to burn my cousin's moto outside his house. There's even video.

This incident follows a prior act of intimidation. On July 15, an unknown individual set fire to the mototaxi of Miguel Vílchez, Jílari's cousin, at his home. Jílari Vílchez recounted that the extortionist had threatened worse, even mentioning "bombs," after the initial mototaxi burning. The subsequent fire at the mattress workshop appears to be the fulfillment of that threat, leaving a community in mourning and demanding justice.

“

Because they saw that he (Farid Ramos), my aunt's partner (Jílari Vílchez), left his mototaxi here at the house, they started to watch (surveil) until they burned it. She (Yessenia Vargas) charged electric bikes and mototaxis. She liked to collect protection money. Not just him (Farid Ramos), she charged anyone who worked with mototaxis and electric bikes too.