Criminals pretend to help elderly man and rob him in Villa María, Santiago

Santiago. - An elderly man was assaulted in the Villa María sector of this city by two men who, under the guise of offering him help, robbed him of his belongings in an incident that was captured on video and has generated great social rejection. The victim, who was walking with difficulty due to a leg problem, was approached by the criminals aboard a gray Hyundai Sonata Y20 car. The subjects parked the vehicle and, feigning solidarity, approached with kindness and then surrounded him and subjected him to a struggle until they took what he was carrying. Security camera footage shows the cruelty of the robbery: the men took advantage of the elderly man's physical vulnerability and in a matter of seconds fled, leaving the victim bewildered and defenseless. The incident occurred right behind the Metropolitan Hospital of Santiago Homs in this city, which has heightened the concern of the community, who assure that this is not an isolated case, but part of a series of robberies and assaults that keep residents and passersby in fear. "We are at the mercy of criminals. You can't even walk peacefully near a hospital. There is no respect for anyone here anymore," expressed an indignant neighbor of the sector. The video of the robbery is widely circulating on social media, where citizens denounce the increase in crime and question the effectiveness of the promised police patrols. Faced with this fact, the community demands immediate action from the authorities to stop the wave of crime affecting the urbanization.