Units of the Navy of Colombia conducted a large operation jointly with the National Army, to find the whereabouts of nine colombian citizens, including six adults and three children, who had allegedly been kidnapped while travelling in a boat of collective transport of passengers on the route Buenaventura, in Valle del Cauca, to the municipality of Docordó on the Coast of San Juan, department of Chocó.
The facts took place yesterday, Friday, April 22, in the afternoon, when according to the information provided by the Civic Participation Network, allegedly four armed individuals belonging to the Organized Armed Group, GAO, ELN, intercepted the boat in the Papayo sector, San Juan Coast – department of Chocó, and kidnapped the crew of the boat with unknown direction.
Once the Navy of Colombia had knowledge of the facts, started immediately the operation of search and rescue of the hostages in the area of the San Juan river, by increasing the number of units with the deployment of a Battle Group River which includes a Support River Patrol, a River Patrol and an River Element of Combat, as well as an aircraft of the Institution which conducted constant overflights in the area, and also a platoon of the Joint Task Force Titan of the National Army, that aimed at the protection of the good physical condition of citizens who were being held illegally to return them to freedom.
After intense hours of searching, the military personnel neutralized the intentions of criminals, who, when noticing the work of the troops by land, air, and river were forced to stop the movement of the stolen boat and so they released the people.
The nine people on board the boat, began the return when they were found by troops by the helicopter of the Colombian Navy, which informed the military personnel on board the river units of their finding, which accompanied them to the municipality of Docordó, for the reunion with their relatives.
The Colombian Navy categorically rejects this type of criminal acts that damage the freedom and tranquility of the inhabitants and visitors of the Colombian Pacific coast, in the same way, invites people to report on the toll-free line 147, available 24 hours, any illegal or suspicious activity that puts at risk the security of the ethnic communities in the region.
Source: Press - Navy of Colombia
