A family out west says they are being extorted after their father's work truck was stolen a few weeks ago and the thieves are demanding payment before they release the truck's hidden location. Yes, it's another Toyota - and Jomarie Lanza has more details on it:
Imagine opening your garage door only to discover that your $68,000 pickup truck is missing. That's what happened to a caretaker in the Las Flores area of Belmopan on Saturday January 27th. This red Toyota Tacoma, property of Rolando Albeno, was parked inside his garage on Friday by his caretaker as he normally would at the end of each working day.
But when Aguirre returned to work the following morning, the truck was gone - and no one saw it leave.
The family put out a $10,000 reward for the truck, only to be met with an unexpected response.
They claim that they are being extorted. In an email to 7News, they claim "The thieves are asking for a $10,000 exchange for the vehicle under their circumstances only. This is a case of extortion and our home is also being threatened as they state they know where they took the vehicle from and can burn our property if something goes wrong"
It's a chilling message and the family believes that - based on the pictures - the vehicle may be hidden in a wooded area of the Cayo district.
But up until now the police department has not gotten any substantial leads.
The. owners suspect that the thief may have had what is called a "key fob" which was used to get into the vehicle - since it has keyless entry.
The family is pleading to the public to assist them in getting back their vehicle. Those with information are asked to call police of 922-tips.
