In the heart of the La Gaitana sector, in the town of Suba, an apparently ordinary home hid behind its walls a reality that shook the community in the northwest of Bogotá.
Known by neighbors as the ‘House of Terror’the property ended up becoming the center of a thorough investigation by the district authorities after months of citizen alerts.
Behind the facade of this building there were multiple suspicions: from micro drug trafficking and the hiding of stolen cell phonesto an even more complex scenario marked by the presence of children and adolescents in conditions of extreme vulnerability.
Operation in the so-called ‘House of Terror’ in Suba. Photo:District Security Secretariat
Suspected human trafficking
The intervention was not unexpected, given that the community’s insistence on strange movements at different times of the day It set off the alarms of the authorities.
“Human trafficking, That was one of the objectives for which the intervention was developed.because the residents of the sector alerted us of irregular situations when they saw alleged minors, adolescents and some women there,” Sain Calderón, leader of the territorial team, Secretary of Security, explained to EL TIEMPO.
Upon entering the property, the uniformed officers and inspectors found adults (both Colombian and Venezuelan nationals) sharing spaces in precarious conditions with 13 children and adolescents whose ages ranged from just six months to 17 years. According to the Ministry of Security, some of the minors lived with their fathers, mothers, stepfathers or grandparents.
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Given the seriousness of the situation, the Children and Adolescents Police and the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) assumed control at the site.
As an immediate response, “Of the 13 minors, the need to transfer six of them to the Revivir Specialized Center was identified.Calderon explained. In addition, he added that the minors must remain under the monitoring of the ICBF, while their guardians will be summoned to attend to the rights restoration processes.
13 children and adolescents were found, whose ages ranged from just six months to 17 years. Photo:District Security Secretariat
Cell phone reception
Beyond the social drama and child protection, the room-by-room search confirmed that the home would also have functioned as a collection point for objects of illicit originin particular cellular equipment taken from citizens.
“Reception, yes, because cell phones were found with reports of theft. So, those cell phones were seized by the Police,” Sain Calderón informed this publishing house.
The official also explained that the devices will enter a process to establish who are its owners and if there are associated complaints. “This can follow a course, either of captures and return to their owners,” he said.
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Between sanction and social intervention
During the procedure, guidance was provided on the legal requirements for the operation of properties open to the public, At the same time, the intervention of the Ministry of Health was requested to audit the health and hygiene conditions of the so-called ‘House of Terror’.
In parallel, the District deployed a block of institutional offerings through the Secretariat of Social Integration and the Local Mayor’s Office of Suba, opening comprehensive care routes for the inhabitants of the sector who require it:
- Protection and family: allocation of bonuses for older adults and places in Social Integration kindergartens.
- Attention to violence: activation of routes for victims of domestic violence and gender-based violence, in addition to summonses to Family Police Stations.
The District deployed an institutional offer block. Photo:District Security Secretariat
The Ministry of Security indicated that it will maintain coordinated work with the authorities and other entities involved to continue developing this type of interventions. In addition, invited citizens to report criminal activities or suspicious behavior through Line 123.
Laura Daniela Alarcón Vargas
BOGOTÁ EDITORIAL
