The Global Advisor: Spotlight on Latin America | March 2025
Celebrating 30 years in partnership
Colombia
Criminals release couple after ‘paseo millonario’ in Bogotá Armed criminals on motorcycles on 27 February surrounded the taxi of a couple in Bogotá (Cundinamarca department) as they travelled to their home. The kidnappers ordered the taxi driver to drive to a residence in the south of the city and once there, forced the couple to transfer a large sum of money to them. The criminals then drugged the couple and abandoned them nearby where they were able to seek medical attention.
Police rescue kidnap victim using drones in Caldas department Criminals on 26 February kidnapped an agricultural worker by luring him to a rural location in the town of Villamaria (Caldas department) with the promise of a work contract. The criminals demanded a large ransom from his partner who swiftly reported the kidnap to the police. The police quickly located the victim using drones and carried out a rescue operation, arresting four perpetrators.
Control Risks comment
Control Risks comment
The ‘paseo millonario’ is a type of express kidnap in which criminals target taxi passengers by either intercepting the vehicle or posing as the driver. Over the last quarter of 2024 and into early 2025, such cases became increasingly more common, especially in major metropolitan hubs such as Bogotá and Medellín. This trend is likely to continue over 2025, impacting victims across many demographics.
In 2024, departments across Colombia registered an increase in kidnaps in which perpetrators utilised the ‘fake contract’ method, advertising job posts or contacting businesses to contract services to lure potential kidnap victims to specific locations. Agricultural and mining workers in rural departments such as Caldas, Cesar and Norte de Santander will face an increased risk of fake contract kidnaps across 2025.
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