Peru has been left in shock after security footage emerged showing a bandleader making indecent advances toward a 26-year-old singer, who can be seen desperately trying to escape his grasp.
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Security camera captures the incident
The victim is Naldy Saldaña, a well-known figure in Peru’s cumbia music scene. The man accused of sexually assaulting her is César Sánchez Chavesta, the bandleader of the cumbia orchestra La Bella Luz, of which Saldaña was also a member. The incident took place during a band rehearsal and was captured in full by the venue’s security cameras.
Saldaña accused César Sánchez, director of the La Bella Luz cumbia orchestra, of inappropriate touching and attempted sexual assault. As seen in the footage that has since gone public, the singer exits a restroom during a rehearsal in Peru’s capital, Lima, on June 18. The bandleader is seen lunging toward the young singer and attempting to kiss her. As she struggles to pull away, he persists — until she finally breaks free and runs.
Filing a police report
According to the 26-year-old, she filed a police report the day after the attack. However, the band took no action, and she eventually left the group a month later. It was only after the security footage was made public that the bandleader was removed from the orchestra.
This was not the first time
Naldy Saldaña is one of the most recognized voices in Peruvian cumbia, and she insists the video does not capture an isolated incident — but rather the culmination of ongoing harassment. “It wasn’t the first time. That last month, I was even avoiding going to the bathroom. Every time I went in, he would put his hands on me,” she said. She also described feeling completely alone and unprotected, with other band members reportedly telling her only to “take it easy, you’ll get over it.” According to her testimony, César Sánchez Chavesta is a cousin of the band’s founder, Óscar Custodio Chavesta, as reported by El País.
Her harrowing account
Describing what happened that night, Saldaña recounted: “I went to the bathroom, and when I came out, he tried to stop me. He wouldn’t let me pass. He tried to kiss me. He started touching me. Now that I watch the video, I don’t know why I turned back. Maybe because I was scared. I thought he wanted to say something to me or call out to me. He grabbed me even tighter, started touching me everywhere, and kept pulling me closer and closer.”
VIDEO | La cantante peruana Naldy Saldaña ha acusado al director de la orquesta de cumbia La Bella Luz, César Sánchez, de tocamientos indebidos e intento de agresión sexual. Los hechos ocurrieron en un ensayo de grupo y fueron captados por las cámaras de seguridad del lugar. pic.twitter.com/s9hhiwZn8B
— EFE Noticias (@EFEnoticias) August 5, 2026
