They shot him three times and took his gun
En las calles de San Juan de Lurigancho, donde la violencia pandillera y el deber del Estado se cruzan con frecuencia trágica, la paciencia de los investigadores peruanos cerró un capítulo doloroso: cuatro meses después de que un suboficial de seguridad del Congreso fuera asesinado durante un asalto fallido, la policía detuvo al presunto responsable. El arresto de Jhon Esteban Berrospi, de veinte años y vinculado a la banda Los Malditos de San Hilarión, recuerda que la violencia no distingue entre el ciudadano común y quien porta el uniforme del Estado, y que la justicia, cuando llega, lo hace paso a paso.
- Un agente de seguridad que protegía el Congreso fue interceptado al volver a casa y asesinado de tres disparos durante un intento de robo, dejando expuesta la vulnerabilidad de quienes custodian las instituciones del Estado.
- El caso generó una presión inusual sobre los investigadores precisamente porque la víctima no era un ciudadano anónimo, sino alguien cuyo trabajo era blindar el poder legislativo peruano.
- Durante cuatro meses, la División de Investigación de Homicidios de la Dirincri trabajó metódicamente hasta que el análisis forense apuntó a un sospechoso concreto dentro de una organización criminal conocida en el distrito.
- El arresto de Berrospi en la Avenida Los Postes marca un avance real, aunque persisten preguntas sin respuesta: si actuó solo, si el robo fue oportunista o premeditado, y qué cargos formales presentará la fiscalía.
Un viernes por la tarde, cuatro meses después del crimen, los investigadores de homicidios de la Dirincri detuvieron a Jhon Esteban Berrospi, alias 'Beimar', de veinte años, en el tercer bloque de la Avenida Los Postes, en San Juan de Lurigancho. La policía lo señala como el autor del asesinato del suboficial técnico de primera Wesley Saavedra Calderón, ocurrido el 18 de agosto.
Saavedra regresaba a casa tras cumplir su turno de protección en el Congreso cuando fue interceptado en la intersección de la Avenida San Hilarión y el Jirón Las Grosellas. Ante el intento de robo, el agente resistió. Le dispararon tres veces. Sus atacantes huyeron con sus pertenencias y su arma de servicio, dejándolo tendido en la calle.
Bajo la dirección del coronel Víctor Revoredo, los investigadores reconstruyeron los hechos semana a semana hasta que las evidencias forenses apuntaron a Berrospi, presunto integrante de Los Malditos de San Hilarión, banda criminal activa en el distrito limeño. El Tercer Juzgado de Investigación Preparatoria ordenó su detención por setenta y dos horas mientras avanzan las diligencias.
El caso aún guarda interrogantes: si Berrospi actuó en solitario o con cómplices, y si el asalto fue fortuito o dirigido. La investigación continúa, y la siguiente etapa definirá los cargos formales que enfrentará ante la justicia.
Four months of patient detective work ended on a Friday afternoon in San Juan de Lurigancho when homicide investigators arrested a twenty-year-old man they believe killed a congressional security officer in a botched robbery last August. The suspect, Jhon Esteban Berrospi, known by the alias 'Beimar,' was taken into custody in the third block of Avenida Los Postes. Police say he is a member of Los Malditos de San Hilarión, a criminal organization operating in the Lima district.
The killing happened on August 18th. Wesley Saavedra Calderón, a first-class technical subofficial with Peru's State Security Directorate, was heading home after finishing his shift protecting Congress. He was walking through the San Hilarión neighborhood, at the intersection of Avenida San Hilarión and Jirón Las Grosellas, when he was intercepted. The men who stopped him wanted to rob him. Saavedra, trained and armed, chose to resist. They shot him three times. After taking his belongings and his service weapon, they left him there.
The case fell to the Homicide Investigation Division of Peru's criminal police, known as Dirincri, under the direction of Colonel Víctor Revoredo. Investigators worked methodically through the weeks that followed, gathering evidence and following leads. Forensic analysis eventually pointed to Berrospi as the shooter. By early December, they had enough to move.
When Berrospi was arrested, the Third Court of Preliminary Investigation ordered him held for seventy-two hours pending further proceedings. The arrest represents a significant development in a case that had drawn attention precisely because it targeted someone whose job was to protect the state's institutions. Gang violence in Lima's outlying districts is common, but the killing of a security officer working inside Congress elevated the case's profile and the pressure on investigators to solve it.
What remains unclear from the public record is whether Berrospi acted alone or with others, and whether the robbery was opportunistic or targeted. The investigation continues, and the next phase will determine what charges are formally filed and what evidence prosecutors can present in court.
Notable Quotes
The criminals intercepted him to rob him, and the officer confronted them. They shot him three times and then took his belongings and his firearm.— Police account of the August 18 killing
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did it take four months to find him if forensic evidence pointed to Berrospi?
Investigation in Lima doesn't move at the pace people expect. You have to track someone through a neighborhood, verify informant tips, collect physical evidence, get it analyzed. Four months is actually reasonably fast for a homicide in a gang-controlled area.
Was this a random robbery or did they know he was a cop?
The source doesn't say. That's the question that matters most—whether they targeted him because of who he was, or just saw an armed man and decided to take the chance.
Why does it matter that he worked for Congress specifically?
Because it's not just a murder. It's an attack on state security infrastructure. When someone kills a cop protecting Congress, it sends a message about who controls the streets. That's why the case got resources and attention.
What happens to Berrospi now?
He's held for seventy-two hours while prosecutors decide on formal charges. Then it moves to trial, assuming they have enough evidence. The forensics apparently convinced the court he was the shooter.
Is Los Malditos de San Hilarión still operating?
The source doesn't say what happened to the organization after the arrest. But one arrest doesn't dismantle a gang. Berrospi was one member. The group is still there.