Four Dipol officers arrested for allegedly kidnapping a minor and demanding USD 22,270 for his release

The four agents of the Dipol were captured following an investigation by the Public Ministry. (Photo: Public Ministry) The detainees were identified as sub-inspector Belkis Lizeth Cruz Rodríguez and agents Geybin Gadriel Salgado Pérez, Kevin Dagoberto Castillo Zambrano, and Carlos Iván Arteaga Ayestas, against whom a prosecutorial request was filed, deeming them responsible for the crime. The arrest was coordinated by the Section against Kidnapping Crimes and Special Operations of the Special Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime (FESCCO), after a competent judge issued the respective arrest warrants upon reviewing the prosecutorial request presented by the Public Ministry on September 28. According to the investigation by the accusing body, the events date back to August 30, 2026, when the now-defendants allegedly entered a property and, through acts of intimidation, removed a minor from the premises. According to information provided by the Public Ministry, the agents reportedly told neighbors that they would take the young man to CORE 7, a police facility. However, the investigations established that the minor did not enter that police center. After being removed from the property, he would have been taken to an unknown destination, a situation that caused concern among his relatives. The investigation establishes that the minor was removed from a property on August 30. (Photo: Public Ministry) Faced with the disappearance, the victim's relatives went to the Public Ministry and filed a formal complaint requesting that the minor's whereabouts be investigated and the circumstances under which he had been taken from the property be determined. The investigative proceedings made it possible to establish new elements about the case days after the disappearance. On September 4, the relatives received a message in which unknown individuals demanded the payment of 600,000 lempiras in exchange for the minor's release. The communication elevated the investigation to a scenario of presumed kidnapping, while the relatives continued without knowing the victim's whereabouts. According to the Public Ministry, the message also allegedly warned the relatives not to provide information to the authorities, a circumstance that was incorporated into the proceedings carried out by the investigators. Based on the complaint and the information obtained during the investigation, the Special Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime, through its specialized section on kidnappings and special operations, carried out various proceedings to identify those responsible and determine their possible participation in the events. The case took on particular relevance because the four accused belonged to the National Police and were assigned to the Police Intelligence Directorate. The family reported the disappearance to the Public Ministry. (Photo: Public Ministry Honduras) The investigation allowed the Public Ministry to file a prosecutorial request against the sub-inspector and the three agents, attributing to them participation in the crime of aggravated kidnapping. The accusing body reported that the accusation is supported by documentary evidence, technical and scientific evidence, elements that were made available to the corresponding judicial authority. After reviewing the prosecutorial request presented on September 28, a competent judge issued the arrest warrants that allowed the operation against the four police officers to be carried out this Wednesday. The detainees must appear before the judicial authorities so that the corresponding process can take place and their legal situation can be determined. The Public Ministry did not detail in the released information the current status of the minor or whether he has been located, so the investigations continue to fully clarify what happened from the moment he was removed from the property on August 30.