Mexican cartel hijacks migrants' bus en route US, seeks $1,500 ransom per person
There has been an increase in reported kidnappings in recent months, with criminal groups charging migrants for passage through Mexico and subsequently abducting them for ransom. Over 2,100 migrants were kidnapped in Mexico last year
Representational Image. Reuters
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced that a group of criminals has abducted approximately 50 migrants in northern Mexico.
Some of the migrants have been rescued, and the National Guard is currently conducting a search in the vicinity of Matehuala, a city in northern Mexico. The
president stated that a few individuals have already been found, and the authorities are hopeful for the safe rescue of the remaining migrants.
Related Articles
Media reports indicate that nine individuals managed to escape and were rescued, leaving approximately 40 still missing.
The migrants were traveling north towards the United States in a bus originating from the southern state of Chiapas when they were attacked.
According to reports citing authorities in Nuevo Leon, the rescued individuals were from Venezuela and Honduras.
The National Confederation of Mexican Transporters revealed that the criminal group demanded a ransom of $1,500 (€1,383) for each kidnapped person.
This incident is the latest in a series of abductions in the region.
President Lopez Obrador acknowledged the unfortunate existence of gangs involved in kidnapping. The area where the authorities are conducting the search has a long history of gang and drug cartel activities.
There has been an increase in reported kidnappings in recent months, with criminal groups charging migrants for passage through Mexico and subsequently abducting them for ransom.
According to the National Institute of Migration, over 2,100 migrants were kidnapped in Mexico last year.
In a separate incident last month, approximately 35 individuals, including tourists and migrants, were abducted in the northeast region of the country. They were eventually located in a desert area.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
also read
'Race against Time’: Chaotic scenes at the US-Mexico border as Title 42 expires
Title 42, the pandemic-era public health restriction which was used by the US to curb immigration, ended Friday. Throngs of migrants waded across spring river currents, pushed through thickets to confront a razor-wire-enclosed border
How Joe Biden's asylum plan varies depending on where migrants come from
Illegal crossings tumbled after President Joe Biden announced asylum restrictions in January, but they have risen since mid-April. The administration plans to rapidly screen migrants and quickly send home those who don't qualify. But people will be treated differently depending on their nationality
'Much better than you expected', says US President Biden as migrant crossings drop by 50% after Title 42 expiry
Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas said that the criminal penalties for migrants who illegally enter the country, which resumed after the expiration of Trump-era Title 42, are the main reason behind the massive drop in crossings