Piura Municipality Manager Denounces Extortion: Family Threatened

Gerardo Alvarado, the manager of the Provincial Municipality of Piura, has reported being the target of extortion attempts. He received more than 30 threatening messages via WhatsApp, demanding a sum of money under the threat of violence against him and his family.

The threats began on Sunday, June 28, as Alvarado was traveling with his wife and son. Initially, the sender claimed to want to discuss an issue related to the wholesale market, Las Capullanas. When Alvarado did not respond, the sender escalated to aggressive messages and calls.

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In the first messages, he indicated that he wanted to discuss a matter concerning the wholesale market Las Capullanas with me. When I didn't answer him, there were four calls. Then the aggressive messages started.

The extortionist claimed to know Alvarado's home address and the names of his family members. The messages stipulated a 12-hour deadline for payment, warning of "torment" if the demand was not met. Alvarado noted that no specific bank account or payment method was provided, suggesting the plan was to arrange a cash handover later. He has since filed a complaint with the Piura Criminal Investigation Division (Divincri), and the police have launched an investigation to identify and apprehend the perpetrator.

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In textual words, they asked me to coordinate with another 'vagabond' for the delivery of the money and that, if I did not comply within 12 hours, my torment would begin.