Gloria Camargo
This Tuesday, Braulio de Arcos Carvajalino, known as the alias ‘Tatán’, was assassinated in Barrancabermeja, Santander. The victim, who worked as a ‘drop drop’ collector, was intercepted by two subjects from another vehicle while he was traveling on his motorcycle through the La Paz human settlement, in commune 3 of Puerto. The attackers took out a weapon and fired three times at him, which caused his death at the scene.
The authorities have compiled information indicating that ‘Tatan’ had a record for the crimes of illegal carrying of weapons and theft. Despite this, the motives behind this homicide have not yet been confirmed. The attackers fled before the arrival of the Police and an investigation is underway to find them and bring them to justice.
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This crime adds to the 42 murders registered in Barrancabermeja so far this year, which represents a concern for local authorities. On many occasions, ‘gota gota’ collectors are victims of violence in Colombia due to the debts that they must recover in areas of high crime and where illegal armed groups have a presence.
It is important to mention that ‘drop drop’ collectors are people who lend money at high interest rates, outside the financial system, and who use violent methods to recover their money in case of non-payment. This practice has become a social problem in Colombia, and many have called for the regulation and control of these activities to prevent cases like that of Braulio de Arcos Carvajalino from continuing.