Mexico: 16 Kidnapped Police Employees Freed After 3 Days

By BERT HOOVER First Posted: Jul 02, 2023 10:42 PM EDT

After enduring three days of captivity, the 16 kidnapped police employees in southern Mexico have been released as of Friday, AP reports.

Governor Rutilio Escandón of Chiapas State confirmed their safe return in a tweet, reassuring the people of Chiapas and Mexico.

"I want to inform the people of Chiapas and Mexico that the 16 kidnapped colleagues have been released this afternoon," he wrote.

No specific details were provided regarding the circumstances surrounding their release. The kidnappers had initially demanded the removal of three local police officials in Chiapas and the release of Neyeli Cinco, a local singer abducted by a different gang the previous week.

The Mexico police employees were taken captive on Tuesday when armed individuals in several vans intercepted a police transport truck along the Ocozocoautla-Tuxtla Gutiérrez highway.

While the male employees were captured, the kidnappers released the 17 female employees, leaving them unharmed.

Over 1,000 Members of Security Forces Searched for the Abducted Mexico Police Employees

The search operation for the kidnapped police employees involved a significant deployment of security forces comprising over 1,000 members from both state and federal agencies, according to Barrons.

These individuals, who serve as administrative employees within the police force, were abducted while traveling by bus along a highway that connects the towns of Ocozocoautla and Tuxtla Gutierrez, located approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles) southeast of Mexico City.

Local media outlets have released a video that purportedly shows the captured workers.

In the footage, one of the employees states that the abductors demanded the resignation or dismissal of the state security officials because they had been accused of engaging in covert collaboration with another armed group.

As the investigation into this incident continues, efforts to secure the safe release of the remaining captive workers and bring the perpetrators to justice remain a priority for the authorities involved.

Further updates regarding the progress of the search and any developments in the case are anticipated in the coming days.

Gunmen Attacked Mexico Police Station While in Search of the Kidnapped Police Employees

Amid an extensive search for Mexico police employees who were abducted on a local highway, assailants launched an attack on a police station in the southern state of Chiapas, per The Guardian.

The incident involved throwing explosives at the station, highlighting a recent territorial dispute between cartels vying for control over drug and immigrant trafficking in the neighboring state adjacent to Guatemala.

Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed that the kidnappings were part of an ongoing clash between two criminal organizations, noting that such conflicts have become increasingly common.

He further stated that the abducted individuals were employed by the state police, albeit seemingly assigned to work at a local prison in positions such as guards or administrative staff.

The emergence of cartel-related violence in Chiapas signifies an escalation of the issue. While the state has historically witnessed land, ethnicity, political, and religious conflicts, it has largely been spared from the drug cartel violence that has plagued other regions of the country.

President López Obrador has adopted a non-confrontational approach toward the cartels, maintaining a paternalistic stance.

In response to the abductions, he expressed his expectation for the captives' release, warning that if they were not freed, he would inform their fathers and grandfathers about the criminal groups' actions.

Additionally, on Wednesday, it was reported that two patrol vehicles in Tapachula, near the border, sustained damage in an explosion outside a police station.