The rescue of the mayor of Chimichagua (Cesar), José David Rocha Quintero, was achieved in an operation coordinated by GAULA units of the National Police in Soacha, Cundinamarca.
The president had been kidnapped on November 20 after attending an alleged negotiation for low-cost machinery, a summons that ended up being a trap. The mayor’s rescue took place in a parking lot in the La Unión neighborhood, where he was being held.
According to authorities, Rocha Quintero traveled to Bogotá hoping to close an apparently favorable deal. However, upon arriving at the scene he was intimidated and deprived of his freedom. Hours later, family members and officials received calls in which the mayor himself requested amounts between $50 and $100 million pesos without any clear explanation, which immediately alerted his relatives, who reported the situation to Gaula.
With this information, the Police activated a search plan that included intelligence work, technical analysis and monitoring.
These efforts made it possible to accurately locate the parking lot where it was located. A specialized team entered the site, which achieved the release without the president being injured.
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During the operation, five people were captured, including a minor, who were allegedly responsible for the kidnapping.
At first, two men were detained in the parking lot, and later, thanks to alerts from residents of the sector, three other individuals who had tried to flee through the roofs were located.
During the intervention, a firearm, five 38 caliber cartridges, five cell phones and 18 5.56 caliber rifle cartridges were seized.
The mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez, spoke in X regarding the events: “Congratulations to our National Police and the Gaula. With everything against the criminals. I am happy for the release of the mayor of Chimichagua. He should never have been kidnapped. We must recover security in all the territories of Colombia.”
The authorities reiterated that the operational coordination and the quick report of the family were decisive in avoiding a tragic outcome.
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