17 de Los Bautistas, capturados por extorsión digital, quedaron en libertad: los criminales enviaban a sus mamás los comprobantes de pago

Authorities in Bogotá achieved significant progress in dismantling the gang known as Los Bautistas, which was involved in extortion through fake social media profiles.

The case, exclusively revealed by El Tiempo, is based on unprecedented financial evidence, including 15 bank transfer receipts and virtual wallet transactions exceeding $264 million pesos.

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In the early weeks of December 2025, the operation included the issuance of 39 arrest warrants, targeting former Inpec officials, inmates, parolees, and implicated relatives, including mothers of inmates.

The Bogotá Police and the Mayor’s Office presented the detainees to the public, linking them to crimes such as aggravated conspiracy and aggravated extortion. Additionally, six already condemned inmates were notified of their suspected participation in the network.

Of the more than thirty detained, 17 regained their freedom in recent days by judicial decision, although they remain under investigation.

A judge of guarantees ruled that, in these cases, the Prosecutor’s Office did not demonstrate authorship or direct involvement in the criminal structure. Despite this measure, these individuals must continue to appear before justice.

The criminal scheme involved the creation of fictitious profiles, usually female, to contact victims and request money in exchange for not disseminating alleged intimate images. Payments were requested through digital transfers, utilizing bank accounts and virtual wallets in the name of third parties, complicating the tracking of the funds.

Anonymous sources close to the investigation confirmed to the mentioned media that mothers and relatives of the inmates played a significant role in this financial chain.

One of them, an elderly woman identified as a possible coordinator, received over eight million pesos transferred from accounts controlled by her son, Pedro Edgar Salamanca Patiño, who was then incarcerated at La Picota prison.

The media also documented that the mother of Jonathan Alfredo Acosta Velasco received nearly $14.7 million pesos through deposits from victims, gang members, and impersonated accounts.

Additionally, income to the prison and call records associated with the opening of digital accounts were identified, supporting the hypothesis of their collaboration in the criminal structure.

Among the money recipients was the mother of Brian Martín Méndez Prieto, who accumulated over $12 million pesos from various sources linked to the criminal group. The analysis of calls, transfers, and prison incomes supports the operational pattern in which mothers and relatives acted as crucial links to disperse extortion money.

The file contains data about at least 13 other individuals who received suspicious transfers, maintained communication with inmates, and were directly linked to extortion victims. All these individuals remain under judicial scrutiny and are active in the criminal process.

On the financial aspect, the central piece of evidence consists of receipts documenting individual transfers between $450,000 and $50 million pesos.

These figures contradict defenses regarding minimal amounts contributed by some accused after regaining their freedom. The transactions between accounts and impersonated virtual wallets added complexity to the investigation.

During the judicial process, some inmates admitted that the funds deposited into their relatives’ accounts, particularly their mothers’, came from extortion activities. They also acknowledged their involvement in handling and benefiting from those resources. Meanwhile, the defense of some defendants justified the reception of the funds for familial reasons, a argument currently under examination by the Colombian judicial system.

The case continues to develop, keeping most of the implicated individuals under active investigation. Authorities are focusing their efforts on tracing the entire flow of money and clarifying the participation of each involved party, including relatives and close ones.

In the most recent stage of the process, several inmates argued that the transfers to their mothers were explained by their family ties and that, although the source of the funds was illegal, they recognize a shared responsibility in the investigated events.