Overview
- Two people dressed as Ministry of Health inspectors entered a Cajamarca botica and used a fake inspection to gain access to the back of the store.
- The pair, a woman and a man, wore medical clothing, masks and fake photo IDs and spent minutes asking about permits and sales to build trust.
- They threatened the owner with a firearm and a knife, bound and gagged her with packing tape, locked her in the bathroom, and stole a laptop, two phones and cash.
- Reports differ on the value taken, with initial accounts estimating about S/3,000 and another report citing S/10,000; the owner broke out of the bathroom and neighbors helped her, and no arrests have been reported.
- Internal security-camera recordings captured the incident and are now being reviewed by police to identify the suspects, underscoring a growing tactic of criminals using false official credentials to bypass business safeguards.