Four officers of Venezuela’s scientific police force, the CICPC, were arrested and summarily dismissed after residents filmed them attempting to take bundles of US dollars from the rubble of a collapsed building in La Guaira, the coastal state worst hit by last week’s twin earthquakes. According to a statement from the CICPC director, Douglas Rico, the men “deviated from their duties and, taking advantage of rescue and humanitarian assistance work, acted indecorously by appropriating economic valuables found among the debris.” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello described the acts as “shameless, indecent and immoral” and pledged that the officers would be “judged as they deserve.” The four, identified by authorities as Maya Aguilar Reyes, Fredy Rafael Lugo Oliveros, Roger Andrés Omaña and Josue Jhonatan Burgos Sánchez, were placed at the disposal of a national prosecutor specialising in corruption offences.

Videos circulated widely on social media show a crowd surrounding one officer who clutches a crushed metal box containing dollar notes. A woman is seen snatching the cash and tearing the bills, while residents shout “shame” and “let it go.” The footage, verified by several news organisations, was recorded in the Residencias Vallarta complex, where the back-to-back quakes of 24 June reduced entire towers to debris. Official figures released on Tuesday put the death toll at 1,943, with 10,571 injured, though the United Nations resident coordinator in Venezuela, Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro, has indicated that the real number of victims is likely higher, noting that the UN is assisting with the procurement of 10,000 body bags.

The arrests have focused public anger on the conduct of security forces during the disaster response. In La Guaira, volunteers and international rescue teams have reported widespread looting by men in uniform, including the removal of televisions and other goods from destroyed homes. Chilean rescue group Topos Chile said its members were repeatedly stopped and asked for identification by military personnel who accused them of being “Yankee spies,” while a Mexican rescuer, Héctor Méndez, told local media that a state television reporter asked him to thank Venezuela’s president on camera, a request he refused. The opposition party Primero Justicia denounced “the opportunism of some regime officials” who, instead of saving lives, were “searching through the rubble for how to enrich themselves from the tragedy.” The government has dismissed the broader allegations as a “manipulation strategy on social networks” and urged citizens to rely on official information.

As rescue efforts entered their seventh day, the four dismissed officers remained in custody pending a judicial hearing. The CICPC thanked the public for providing the evidence that led to the arrests and reiterated that it would not tolerate “acts of corruption or behaviour that violates institutional honour or aggravates the suffering of the victims.” The official casualty count remains provisional, with international agencies warning that the number of missing—estimated by some sources at over 50,000—could push the final toll significantly higher.