The unusual purchases that revealed a ‘black widow’

The man lay unconscious on the floor of his apartment in the Caballito district of Buenos Aires as transfers of more than 5,538,721 pesos were made from his own mobile phone. Minutes before he left, the person who had dined with him performed a final operation: he bought a chocolate through Mercado Pago and had it delivered to the same address. This sequence, recorded with date, time and address, became one of the keys to reconstructing the path that led researchers to a young “black widow.”

The defendant was identified as Lidia Esther Lobo. He was born on December 15, 2004 and will be 21 next Monday, but he won’t have any cake or any desire to celebrate. She is arrested and accused of committing at least two robberies in the city of Buenos Aires between April and May this year. In both cases, the pattern was similar: he seduced his victims via social networks, arranged a meeting at their home, put them to sleep with a sleeping pill that he diluted in their drink, finally drained their accounts and took everything he found of value.

The striking chocolate incident occurred on May 30 in an apartment at 900 Pujol Street. According to the allegation, the young woman contacted the victim via WhatsApp and made an appointment. During dinner, the man drank an adulterated drink and fainted as he was about to take a shower.

While he remained unconscious, he unlocked one of his cell phones and accessed his Mercado Pago account. From there, several transfers were made, totaling 5,538,721 pesos. During the same period, the young woman made one specific purchase: a chocolate that was delivered to the victim’s home before the woman left the scene. The operation was recorded with date, time and address.

When the victim woke up after midnight, he found his apartment in disarray. They were missing four thousand dollars, two cell phones, a notebook, an electric guitar with a case, a pair of gold earrings, a watch, several items of clothing and a perfume. After noticing the movements in his account and the transfers made, he reported the matter to the police.

That wasn’t the only fact included in the file. The investigation also reconstructed a similar incident that occurred on April 5 in an apartment at 3800 Amenábar Street in the Núñez district of Buenos Aires. On this occasion, the victim invited the young woman to stay in her house until April 8th.

That day, after noon, while they were drinking Fernet with Coca-Cola, the man lost consciousness. When he woke up, he found that 150,000 pesos, a cell phone, wireless headphones, kitchen appliances, two suitcases, a CPU, two handhelds and a video camera had been stolen. The young woman was no longer there.

The next day, events at Mercado Libre and Mercado Pago were recorded on the victim’s cell phone. Lidia bought a pair of sneakers and a shiny protective case for her cell phone camera. The transactions were linked to specific accounts and addresses that were later used as evidence in the search for the main suspect.

With the two reported events, the analysis of the transfers and purchases from the victims’ cell phones, the investigators further came to the identity and career of the “Black Widow”. In September, the judge in charge of the case called for cooperation with the Secretariat for the Arrest of Refugees (Secap), which operates within the Public Prosecutor’s Office (Ufecri), which specializes in complex criminal investigations.

Based on expert reports from various government agencies and mobile phone companies, it was determined that Lobo had family ties in the central valley of Río Negro Province. Based on this data and through the Argentine Federal Police, the Río Negro police were asked to cooperate in the search for her.

The first operation was unsuccessful: the young woman was no longer at the address in question because she had moved to Alto Valle. However, the track remained active. Wolf returned to Choele Choel. A new operation was carried out there and he was finally arrested on December 2nd.

After her arrest, she was booked into the Río Negro Police Department’s 71st Substation in the city of Pomona. From there she was practically examined by Judge Ángeles Mariana Gómez Maiorano, who was accused of the crime of aggravated robbery. In his statement he denied the facts attributed to him.

“Puppy”, a deadly seductress

PR

Almost simultaneously with the arrest of Lidia Esther Lobo in Choele Choel, another case once again brought to light an approach that apparently has no brakes. In Lanús, 29-year-old Aiana Micaela Vargas, known as “Cachorra”, a “black widow” accused of the murder of José David Silva, a former Malvinas war fighter who was stabbed to death in the Constitución district of Buenos Aires.

The arrest took place at a house on Avenida 9 de Julio, between Pergamino and Luján, where DDI Quilmes employees carried out covert surveillance until it was confirmed that the suspect had left the property. At that time she was intercepted and arrested after being on the run for months.

Vargas was wanted as a suspected accomplice of her partner Leandro Damián Díaz (35), who was arrested weeks ago in Chaco province. The crime occurred in June 2024 at a home at 1300 San Juan Street, where Silva was attacked with five stab wounds to the neck. After the murder, both fled and remained hidden.

As the investigation continued, Díaz was located by members of the 8th Police Station of Chaco and detained at the disposal of the judiciary. Vargas, meanwhile, was charged with “murder” and committed to the National Criminal and Correctional Court No. 4.

According to the investigation, “Cachorra” is said to have seduced Silva with the aim of robbing his house. Until the day of the attack, the ex-combatant had not realized the true intentions of the young woman he fell in love with.