Agents of the National Civil Police (PNC) This Friday, May 1, the security operations in the surroundings of the La Aurora Zooin zone 13 of the capital, in prevention after investigations initiated after complaints of excessive charges and alleged thefts.
The procedures in front of the premises include identification of people, verification of vehicles and the profiling of individuals who offer informal parking services, known as “cuidacarros”, as well as street vendors in the sector.
According to authorities, these actions respond to multiple complaints from foreign tourists, who point out that some people pose as zoo workers to charge for parking.
According to reports, the required payments are from Q35 to US$50 (approximately Q381), and later the supposed caretakers would take advantage of the users’ visit to open vehicles and steal belongings.
As background, on April 27, the Public Ministry reported on a operating in the same sector, in which 33 people dedicated to the care of vehicles were identified and a fixed police security post was installed. On that occasion, complaints about irregular charges and possible theft from visitors were also repeated.
It is estimated that more than 7 thousand national and foreign visitors come to the place in one weekend.