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Updated: Katharina Koller and Peter Kirsten Rabitsch - Bolivia - 2006

The gang responsible for Peter and Katharina's deaths have been jailed.

7 years ago, February 8th 2006Delete | Edit No: 1 Msg: #3995

kpuk
kpuk

N Posts: 3

Administration Note

Katharina and Peter were robbed and killed after arriving in La Paz, Bolivia. They fell victim to a relatively common scam were kid-napped forced to reveal their credit card details. They were not the only victims. Eventually the ringleaders of the criminal gang were captured and jailed. More details and much advice for traveller can be found on the website in their memory:
Katharina and Peter

---- original message.
We are looking for our relatives who have gone missing since Jan 24th!
Estamos en busca de nuestros parentes que desaparecieron el 24 de Enero!

Katharina and Peter

[Edited: 10:29 - Ali - updated]

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7 years ago, February 8th 2006Delete | Edit No: 2 Msg: #3996

kpuk
kpuk

N Posts: 3

We are looking for our relatives who have gone missing since Jan 24th!
Estamos en busca de nuestros parentes que desaparecieron el 24 de Enero!

More information under/ para mas informacion:

http://www.katharinaandpeter.info/

If anyone has seen them please help!

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7 years ago, March 9th 2006Delete | Edit No: 3 Msg: #4368

Jessie and Mauricio
Jessica and Mauricio

B Posts: 1

Did you ever find your relatives? I will be traveling to Bolivia in May and was wondering if I could do anything to help! My boyfriend and I are US Citizens but my boyfriend has lots of family in Bolivia. Can we help in any way?

Best regards,

Jessica

[Edited: 00:48 - Jessie and Mauricio ]

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7 years ago, March 19th 2006Delete | Edit No: 4 Msg: #4572

kpuk
kpuk

N Posts: 3

Dear everyone,

Peter and Katharina are still missing!

We have updated the website yesterday, please have a look:

http://www.katharinaandpeter.info

After weeks of increasingly desperate waiting for a word of my brother Peter and Katharina, we still have not heard anything from them. We quite certainly know they have been victims of a tourist scam, undertaken by a gang of people who seem to run this as a business. We also have received many replies from people who told us that the same happened to them and some of them even recognized members of the gang from pictures. Please have a look at the site, where a picture of the head of that gang (Ramiro Milán Fernández) of false policemen can be found...

Please let us know if you know anything that can help us to find out about the whereabouts of Peter and Katharina, and/or the whereabouts of Milán. Thank you all!!!

Katrin (sister of Peter)

Estimados todos!

Peter y Katharina todavia se encuentran desaparecidos!

Por favor, eche un vistazo a la pagina web, en que pueda encontrar mas detalles sobre la desaparecion de Peter y Katharina.

Despues de esas muchas semanas, esperando, sin noticias de Peter y Katharina y sin ni demanda de una rescate o algo parecido, hemos decidido que les preguntamos si conocen a la persona que si puede ver en la nueva version de la pagina web, quien es la cabecilla de la banda de falsos policias/ secuestradores; se llama Ramiro Milán Fernández.

http://www.katharinaandpeter.info

Por favor, si sabe algo sobre el paradero de Peter y Katharina, o de Milán contactenos! Muchas gracias a todos!!

Katrin (hermana de Peter) Reply to this

7 years ago, April 13th 2006Delete | Edit No: 5 Msg: #5049

travelingbee
Deb

B Posts: 73

I just checked out Peter & Katharina's website and noticed it was just updated in the last day or so with the information that both Peter & Katharina were found murdered by a known kidnapping/crime gang that operates in and around Boliva.

The details of the outcome of the Bolivian police investigation from the website is as follows:

Peter and Katharina were kidnapped by a gang of organized criminals who pretended to be policemen. In all likelihood they fell victim to a common ploy: a taxi waits for tourists descending from the public bus, when they embark, a fake tourists joins them. After a short drive, the taxi is stopped by a fake policemen pretending to look for illegal drugs. The fake tourist carries drugs on him and all are escorted to a fake police station where the tourists are forced to give away their bank cards and the PIN-codes. The Bolivian police found a false sign-post (reading “police station”) as well as false uniforms that were used in the kidnapping of Katharina and Peter.

During extensive police actions several members of the gang have been arrested, the head of the gang, Ramiro Milan Fernández, and further members are however still fugitive. On April 3rd, the corpses of Katharina and Peter were excavated at an illegal cemetery on the outskirts of La Paz. They were killed in a very brutal manner on the 1rst of February. The same day, the kidnappers travelled to Oruro, where they again took money out of an ATM in the evening.

I just wanted to extend my sympathies to the families. I'm sure many thoughts and prayers are being extended as you deal with this tragedy..

Anyone traveling to Bolivia, be aware of this scam - and remember, you can never be too careful... Even when I was recently traveling in Peru, we were warned to pre-arrange all of our taxi rides when possible.

Stay alert and safe travels to all!

[Edited: 15:42 - djanem ]

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6 years ago, September 10th 2006Delete | Edit No: 6 Msg: #7442

Meli5
Mel

B Posts: 7

Wow!Like I¨m a very careful person this really scares me to death at the moment.I´m always wondering whether travelling or only staying in Buens Aires....
I feel very very sorry for the family and relatives!!!!I include You in my prayers,and hope,it helps a little bit..... Reply to this

4 years ago, July 26th 2008Delete | Edit No: 7 Msg: #43138

deleted_76985
deleted_76985

d Posts: 42

WOW why would people do that? that's just cruel, those did nothing wrong and just for money they do that :(

Now I see why people tell south america is so dangerous. I never knew it was this bad (I watched the site)
Thx for telling, I'll definitly be carefull, I didn't kno people could be capable and senseless like that. Reply to this

113 weeks ago, March 14th 2011Delete | Edit No: 8 Msg: #131050

Croy
David Croy

N Posts: 1

I was a friend of Peters (or Kirsten as I knew him) from university in England. I had heard about this tragic event in 2006 but never found this forum. I would like to offer my condolences to Peters and Katharinas families. Peter was a very kind and friendly person and I have thought about him often over the last 5 years and will continue to do so. He will be fondly remembered and sorely missed. Reply to this

69 weeks ago, January 19th 2012Delete | Edit No: 9 Msg: #150634

kprhar
Hermann Rabitsch

N Posts: 1

In response to: Msg #131050 Hello David,
This is Hermann Rabitsch, father of Kirsten Peter Rabiitsch. Could you give me your private email address,so I can update you on what has happened since 2006.
Thank you and all the best

[Edited: 2012 Jan 19 19:49 - Jo Trouble:16935 - PM sent.]

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