Colombia: Fugitives, criminals and 50 missing persons apprehended trying to cast votes

A leader of the armed group Clan del Golfo, the main criminal gang in Colombia, was captured on Sunday while exercising his right to vote in the country's presidential elections, official sources reported.

Alias ​​JJ or Dago, the reputed leader of a criminal organization was arrested in Cundinamarca (central) according to the prosecutor's office.

Police had been searching for him for months after an arrest warrant was executed for the crime of conspiracy. 

The investigators were surprised by how the alleged criminal boldly approached the voting table and presented his required documents. Sources say the fugitive did not even bother to hide his identity, passing his identification card without even making the slightest attempt to evade detection, reported Semana.

But he was not the only fugitive attempting to exercise his right to vote.

Judicial documents from the the prosecutor's office describe the capture of 85 people who were fugitives of justice or wanted by authorities, detained as they attempted to cast a vote in the Colombian election.

Eighty one of them had an arrest warrant for crimes ranging from theft, sexual abuse and even withholding of food.

Prosecutor Francisco Barbosa presented additional details, which included the capture of four people who stand accused of committing electoral crimes.

“Of these arrests, 81 correspond to court orders for different illicit behaviors, from different parts in the country: Casanare, Arauca, Norte de Santander, Nariño, Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Antioquia, Cundinamarca, Santander, Meta, Tolima, Cesar. , Magdalena, Sucre, La Guajira, Putumayo, Bolívar, Quindío and the capital of the Republic,” the prosecutor said.

Among those captured was a professor of performing arts who also supervised a children's youth program.

The prosecutor's office confirmed that the teacher approached his polling station and CTI agents were waiting for him there with an arrest arrest warrant for him.

They captured him and presented him before the judge who had signed the warrant.

“There is the teacher of an educational institute in Cali (Valle del Cauca), who was wanted for the crime of violent sexual act. The facts for which he is required would have occurred while he was teaching a degree program in performing arts and a children's and youth program," said the prosecutor's office.

The prosecutor's office confirmed that at least 50 people who were reported missing came to vote. The office further confirmed these fugitives were 50 Colombians whose relatives thought they had disappeared, but reappeared while trying to exercise their right to vote.