A police band that committed 'home invasions' in the western part of the Greater Buenos Aires area was dismantled following the arrest of two of its members and the apprehension of two others, three of whom have extensive criminal records. Police sources informed Argentine News that the investigation, carried out by officers from the DDI Moreno-General Rodríguez of the Bonaerense Police, began last August when a 68-year-old man was riding his motorcycle to the Vital supermarket in the town of Paso del Rey to collect a loan from a client as he usually did. At that moment, he was intercepted by a black Volkswagen Fox with several armed criminals inside, who stole his motorcycle and illegally deprived him of his freedom, taking him to his house where they beat him and subdued him along with his family. In the house, the robbers took mobile phones, two televisions, cash, and another motorcycle that was there before fleeing. The DDI personnel carried out investigative tasks, including analysis of security cameras, social networks, and other elements, which allowed them to identify three of the criminals and the addresses related to each of them. Thus, six search warrants were authorized in the districts of Moreno and Merlo, while it was reported during the investigation that the accused formed a criminal group dedicated to committing 'home invasions' and were the authors of at least two other similar incidents: one that occurred on October 13 with a man as the victim, and the other on the 21st of that month with a woman as the victim, both in the Moreno district. The officers finally arrested Ricardo Hernán Visconti, 24, and Mariano Ezequiel Serpa Cuellar, 40, while Diego Sebastián Merlo, 34, and Bruno Matías Ressia, 39, were apprehended. During the procedures, they seized a revolver with an active seizure request from January 5, 2012, two 9mm caliber bullets, a television, a bulletproof vest carrier with the police insignia, a chest rank equivalent to that of Sub-inspector, two refractory vests with the insignia of the Argentine Federal Police (PFA), nine mobile phones, a vehicle registration document, clothing similar to that used in the initial robbery, a fanny pack with IDs in the name of different people (presumably victims), bank cards and virtual wallets, a speaker, a Yamaha YBR 125cc motorcycle without a license plate, and three motorcycle helmets. In addition, it was determined that three of the individuals had extensive criminal records for various crimes. In this sense, Merlo has accumulated crimes such as 'Aggravated Robbery' on November 3, 2009 (he was imprisoned in Unit No. 42 of Florencio Varela of the Bonaerense Penitentiary Service), 'robbery' on October 30, 2018, 'Aggravated Cover-up' on February 1, 2022, and 'Aggravated Robbery' on October 14 of last year, while Visconti has a case for 'Illegal Deprivation of Liberty' from 2022. Meanwhile, Ressia has criminal records for 'Attempted Simple Robbery' on May 30, 2006, two other incidents on July 11 and 31, 2006, 'Attempted Aggravated Robbery' on March 23, 2007, 'Simple Robbery' on July 25, 2007, and March 3, 2008, 'Attempted Simple Theft' on February 16, 2012, 'Robbery' on June 19, 2021, and September 27, 2024, for which he was detained in Unit No. 59 of the SPB until December 23, 2024, when he was released. The case is being handled by Instructional Unit (UFI) No. 7, headed by Solange Castelli, and the Guarantees Court of Adriana Julián, both from the Moreno-General Rodríguez Judicial Department.
