A man who told California police that two women had burglarized his house was arrested on Monday after an investigation determined that he actually imprisoned the pair and tortured them.
Riverside police responded to Gilberto Puga’s home on Sunday after Puga, 53, reported that two women had broken into the home. The police department said in a statement that it received other reports that the two women were in Puga’s home screaming for help.
Officers who responded to Puga’s home on Sunday reportedly spotted the two women walking away from the residence.
Riverside police wrote that a subsequent “investigation revealed that the two females had not burglarized Puga’s residence but had been locked in Puga’s residence, held against their will, and tortured.”
City News Service reported that Puga assaulted the two women with a stun gun before they managed to escape. Authorities have not disclosed Puga’s relationship to the victims.
According to the news outlet, Puga has prior convictions for vehicle theft, battery on a peace officer, and driving under the influence.
Arrested in Hemet on Monday, Puga is charged with false imprisonment, assault with a stun gun, being a felon in possession of a weapon, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He remains jailed on $1,000,000 bail.
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[Featured image: Gilberto Puga/Riverside County Sheriff’s Office]
