Authorities have opened an investigation after 11,421 identity documents were reportedly stolen from a registration office in the city of Barranquilla on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, according to local authorities.
The stolen documents included 5,363 citizenship cards and 6,058 identity cards, informed a press release sent out by governmental authorities.
The press release confirmed that a delegation made up of representatives from a number of government agencies is on its way from the Colombian capital Bogota to investigate the case in detail.
In addition, a criminal investigation is underway by the local police and the prosecutor general’s office.
The authorities denied the possibility of using the stolen citizenship cards in the upcoming presidential votes in 2014, stressing that biometric identification by fingerprints would prohibit the improper use of the stolen identity papers.
Sources
- Hurtan 11.421 documentos de sede de Registraduría (El Heraldo)
- Roban más de 11 mil documentos de identidad en Barranquilla (El Universal)
- (Official press release of the governmental authorities)
