Peru Moves Police Chief a Murdered Candidate Accused of Ordering an Attack
Key Facts
Peru’s regional election campaign has turned deadly, and the killing of a journalist-candidate has reached the top of the police. The government has now moved the general she publicly named, nine days before her death, as the man behind a plot.
Peru’s government on 20 September removed General Víctor Revoredo Farfán as head of Dirincri, the police criminal investigation directorate. Journalist and regional candidate Susy Aponte Polo had accused him in a video of ordering an attack on her.
Why This Matters
Susy Isabel Aponte Polo, known as “La China” Polo, was a broadcaster and podcaster in the Andean region of Áncash. She was running for regional governor for Socios por Áncash, a local independent movement, in elections on 4 October.
She was shot dead on Saturday 19 September while handing out campaign material at a market in Caraz. The Rio Times reported the killing on the day it happened.
Her case matters beyond Peru because she named a serving police general, not a local gang, as the source of the threat. Dirincri is the unit that leads Peru’s fight against extortion, kidnapping and organised crime.
Revoredo had run it since 1 January 2026, according to El Comercio. An allegation against its chief therefore reaches the credibility of the whole investigation into her death.
Who Accused Revoredo, and How
The accusation came from Aponte Polo herself, EFE reported, not from her family or from witnesses. About nine days before her death, she posted a video saying three prisons had warned her of a planned attack.
“From three prisons I have received calls warning me that this man, Víctor Revoredo Farfán, has ordered an attack,” she said. Infobae said she aired her accusations on “China Polo Dominical”, her YouTube programme.
Infobae reported that she had already filed complaints with the relevant authorities. The published reports do not show whether any protection was assigned to her after those complaints.
Her reporting covered alleged corruption, water management and local candidates in Áncash, Infobae reported. None of the reports reviewed by The Rio Times explains what evidence, beyond the prison calls, she had against Revoredo.
What the Government Actually Did
The change came through Supreme Resolution 234-2026-IN from the Interior Ministry, La República reported. The stated reason was “necesidad del servicio”, a standard Peruvian formula meaning the needs of the service.
Revoredo moved to the police Directorate of International Affairs, known as DIRASINT. General Ricardo Espinoza Cuestas, until now police chief of the La Libertad region, takes over Dirincri.
Willax reported that the resolution moved 23 senior officers, including three lieutenant generals and 20 generals. It said the police commander, General Fredy López Mendoza, proposed the changes on functional grounds.
EFE reported that the resolution appeared in El Peruano, the official gazette, under President Keiko Fujimori. The resolution itself, as reported, makes no reference to Aponte Polo or to her accusation.
Transfer, Not Suspension
Revoredo has been reassigned, and he remains a serving police general with a new post. No report reviewed by The Rio Times describes a suspension, a disciplinary case or a criminal inquiry against him.
EFE reported that neither the police nor Revoredo had publicly addressed the motive for the killing. Infobae noted that the information available does not establish any responsibility on the general’s part.
Revoredo had not answered the accusation in public by the time of the reports reviewed here. He is entitled to the presumption of innocence, and an accusation in a video is not evidence of a crime.
Where the Murder Investigation Stands
Police detained a Venezuelan man, Luis Iván Obispo Díaz, soon after the shooting, with a pistol. La República identified him as the alleged gunman, and reports give his age variously as 29, 30 or 32.
Infobae reported that the Glock pistol had been reported stolen in Lima’s Villa El Salvador district in November 2023. La República said the weapon was stolen from a police officer, a detail other reports did not repeat.
A second man, Ronald José Toro Artila, was arrested in Lima’s Surco district at about 1.30 a.m. on 20 September. La República said he had booked lodging for the alleged gunman from 16 September and arranged transport to Caraz.
Attorney General Tomás Gálvez said three people were detained, including the alleged hitman and a “supposed financier”. The third detainee has not been named, and La República described Toro Artila as Venezuelan.
From Femicide to Contract Killing
Prosecutors in Huaylas province first opened the case as a possible femicide, the killing of a woman for her gender. They then reclassified it as suspected sicariato, the Spanish term for murder for hire, La República reported.
EFE said prosecutors were taking witness statements, reviewing hotel camera footage and running gunshot-residue tests. Infobae reported that five other people were wounded in the attack, including three minors.
Lima’s homicide division sent specialists to Áncash to trace how the attack was planned, Infobae added. No one has been charged over ordering the killing, and all detainees are presumed innocent.
Reactions
The Partido del Buen Gobierno, led by Jorge Nieto, demanded that Interior Minister César Astudillo explain the case. “Silence is an offence to the country and creates more distrust and fear among the population,” the party said, La República reported.
The party also asked whether a senior police officer had ordered the killing, in a list of public questions. The Peruvian Press Council called for a thorough investigation and said other killings of journalists remain unsolved.
What It Means If You Live in or Visit Peru
For residents, the case shows that complaints about threats do not guarantee protection, even for public figures. Campaign events continue until the 4 October vote, and Caraz lies in a region popular with trekkers.
Foreign visitors face no reported new restrictions in Áncash, but crowded campaign events are best avoided. For investors, the question is institutional, because the unit that leads crime cases now has a new chief mid-inquiry.
What Is Not Yet Known
It is not known who ordered or financed the killing, and prosecutors have named no mastermind. It is not known whether prosecutors will examine Aponte Polo’s accusation against Revoredo.
The government has not said whether his transfer is linked to her allegation. Revoredo’s own account of the accusation has not been published.
It is not known whether investigators can trace the prison calls she described in her video. It is also unclear how a pistol reported stolen in 2023 reached the alleged gunman.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who accused General Víctor Revoredo?
Susy Aponte Polo herself, in a video posted about nine days before she was killed. She said prison sources had warned her that he ordered an attack.
Has Revoredo been suspended or charged?
No. He was transferred to the police international affairs directorate, and no charge or disciplinary case against him has been reported.
Who has been arrested over the killing?
Police hold the alleged gunman, Luis Iván Obispo Díaz, and Ronald José Toro Artila, accused of logistical help. Both are presumed innocent.
When are Peru’s local elections?
Regional and municipal elections are due on 4 October 2026. Aponte Polo was running for governor of Áncash.
Sources: EFE via Infobae, government moves the police chief she accused, EFE via Infobae, her accusation and the investigation, La República, Supreme Resolution 234-2026-IN, La República, second suspect arrested in Surco, Willax, the 23-officer reshuffle, Infobae, what is known about the crime, El Comercio, Revoredo’s tenure at Dirincri, El Peruano, attorney general reports three detainees, Infobae, Peruvian Press Council demands investigation, La República, Buen Gobierno demands answers
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