Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Peruvian police have arrested five suspects in the killing of Zetro Leonardo Purba, an Indonesian Embassy staff member who was fatally shot on September 1.
Local outlet Panamericana reported that the arrests took place on September 9 after police raided a house and a hostel in San Martín de Porres, detaining three Venezuelan nationals and two Cubans.
Authorities said the suspects are believed to be members of “Los Maleantes del Cono,” a gang known for extortion and contract killings.
During the operation, officers seized a semi-automatic Taurus PT938 pistol, explosives, narcotics, ten cellphones, and a motorcycle.
According to head of the investigative division Colonel Juan Carlos Montúfar, ballistics analysis confirmed the firearm was the same weapon used in Purba’s murder,
“The comparison between the bullet found in the victim’s body and the shell casings recovered at the scene yielded a positive match. The weapon has also been linked to other cases dating back to 2019,” Montúfar said, as cited by Kumparan.
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Peruvian media Trome identified two of the Venezuelan suspects as Wilson José Soto López, alias “El Primo,” and Jaiquer Antonio Echenaguzía Quijada, known as “Malaco,” who allegedly acted as the gunman and motorcycle driver during the killing.
The motive, however, remains unclear, and police have not provided an official explanation. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet commented on the arrests.
Previously, Zetro Leonardo Purba, a staff member at the Indonesian Embassy in Peru, was shot dead on September 1 outside the entrance of his residence in Lima.
CCTV footage from the area showed two unidentified assailants opening fire at close range before fleeing the scene on a motorcycle.
(Raidi/Agung)
