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Suspect in Jewelry Heist Near Peru’s Presidential Palace Freed After Paperwork Lapse

The episode highlighted weaknesses in security procedures in a supposedly protected downtown zone.

Overview

  • Before dawn on January 7, thieves entered a jewelry shop at Jirón de la Unión 286 by cutting a hole from an adjacent abandoned property facing the Government Palace.
  • Roughly $4,000 in cash and additional jewelry were taken after security cameras captured the intruders and triggered an alarm.
  • The shop owner alerted police, who detained one suspect identified as José William Salazar Ortiz at the scene.
  • Hours later the detainee was released because the police complaint was not fully formalized in time, according to the owner, and no recoveries or further arrests have been confirmed.
  • Accounts differ on the number of perpetrators involved, and local merchants criticized the security presence near key state institutions, while ATV reported the detainee has multiple prior complaints.