The Ecuadorian soccer player Pedro Pablo Perlaza, who played until last September for Delfín in the first division of Ecuador
was kidnapped this Monday in the coastal city of Esmeraldas, capital of the province of the same name in the northwest of the country and bordering Colombia.
According to the complaint from the player’s relatives, the kidnapping occurred on the night of December 2 in the area known as June 5, in Esmeraldas.
(Also read: the hypothesis behind the murder of nine Colombians in Ecuador)
“The case is already in the hands of the Police anti-kidnapping unit, which received the call from Perlaza’s family,” who have indicated that “the player was intercepted by a motorized vehicle on Malecón and Manuela Cañizares streets and taken by force. to a vehicle”, according to a version published by ‘Estadio’ magazine on its website.
Where has Pedro Pablo Perlaza played?
The 33-year-old right defender has played for clubs such as Delfín, Liga de Quito, Independiente del Valle, Aucas and Barcelona, among other local teams, and had a short-lived stint with the Ecuadorian national team in 2022.
‘La Liza’ Perlaza, as the player is also known, achieved titles in the Ecuadorian Pro League with Delfín (2019), Liga de Quito (2021) and Aucas (2022).
Ecuador fights against violence
This fact added to the wave of kidnappings, extortions and murders that are reported daily in Ecuador, which for about four years has suffered an onslaught of violence in the streets and prisons.
Since the beginning of 2024, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa elevated the fight against organized crime to the category of “internal armed conflict”, thereby classifying organized crime gangs as terrorist groups.
Also this year, it has issued about a dozen states of exception with actions such as the militarization of prisons, controlled by criminal structures, to try to stop the violence.
Although the Government has reported a 17 percent decrease in the number of homicides nationwide, compared to the explosion of murders that occurred in 2023, reports of extortion, kidnappings and murders continue to be filed daily in the country.
(Read also: Colombia will resume the sale of energy to Ecuador to alleviate its energy crisis)
Source: https://www.noticiascaracol.com/mundo/secuestran-al-futbolista-pedro-pablo-perlaza-en-ecuador-lo-metieron-a-un-carro-y-se-lo-llevaron-cb20
