The fake mechanics who scammed Horacio Pagani with the 'uncle's story' were caught.

A gang of scammers was arrested in the middle of a scam attempt in San Cristóbal. They had already scammed journalist Horacio Pagani for almost $2,000,000.

The suspects are of Peruvian nationality and operated in broad daylight. They deceived drivers with supposed mechanical problems and asked for advances for "spare parts."

This is how the fake mechanics operated

The gang was dismantled this Wednesday by the City Police. It all started with a complaint from sports journalist Horacio Pagani, who fell for a scam while driving through Once.

According to the reconstruction, the criminals detected their victims in transit and warned them about faults in a wheel. Then, a supposed mechanic appeared who confirmed the problem and offered to fix it on the spot.

Pagani recounted how he was deceived

"They told me the wheel was moving: I stopped because I got scared. One who looked like a mechanic appeared and showed me a dirty nut. They talked to me about a spare parts store and, without realizing it, they were already working," the journalist reported.

They brought him a wrapped piece, pretended to have changed a pipe, and asked for $2,500,000. Pagani managed to negotiate down to $1,850,000, which he transferred to an account after several attempts. He later found out they hadn't done anything.

How they were caught

Thanks to security cameras and the investigation by the Communal Investigations Division 3 (DIC3), the police identified the individuals involved and the places they frequented.

Days later, two members were seen in San Cristóbal and were followed. There they were with three other men trying to scam a 67-year-old man with the same modus operandi.

At the scene, they seized a Toyota, tools, front-end parts, spray paint, cell phones, a receipt book, and $5,000 in cash.