Seven detainees escaped from Neiva's Temporary Detention Center (CDT) in the early hours of Tuesday, an incident local authorities blame on custody system failures and the improper presence of high-profile inmates. The breakout, detected at 6:05 a.m., involves a man known as alias 'Richard', arrested for a motorcycle bomb attack in La Plata. Authorities have launched recapture operations and demand greater accountability from INPEC and the Huila Governor's Office.
The escape took place at Neiva's Temporary Detention Center (CDT) in the El Triángulo neighborhood and was discovered around 6:05 a.m. on Tuesday, January 26. According to Colonel Héctor Jairo Betancourt Rojas, commander of the Neiva Metropolitan Police, guard personnel noticed the absence of seven inmates, including alias 'Richard', recently captured in La Plata for activating a motorcycle bomb during Holy Thursday.
Neiva's Municipal Administration, through Government Secretary José Ferney Ducuara Castro, stressed that the CDT lacked the conditions and legal authority to house individuals captured in other municipalities or high-profile cases. 'As we have warned in various Security Councils... this person had been captured in the municipality of La Plata and, nevertheless, remained in these facilities,' the official stated. Since January 13, Mayor Germán Casagua Bonilla had formally requested the Metropolitan Police not to accept such individuals to avoid risks.
Municipal ombudsman Jerson Andrés Bastidas condemned the incident and demanded that INPEC, prison authorities, and the Huila Governor's Office take responsibility. 'It is regrettable that the municipality of Neiva... must continue to assume situations like this,' he said. The Police have deployed recapture operations and started an internal investigation to determine liabilities, urging citizens to report sightings to 123.
The escapees are: Jhon Sebastián Becerra Lizcano, Jhon Sebastián Torres Avella, Duban Esneyder Llanos Motta, Ricardo Alfonso Guainas Guacheta, Jairo Andrés Gómez Perdomo, Maicol Andrés Perdomo Esquivel, and Yeison Andrés Escobar Cruz. Neiva's Ombudsman called for strengthening institutional coordination mechanisms to prevent recurrences.
