Businessman and former PAN-PRI-PRD candidate for mayor of Salamanca, Gerardo Arredondo Hernández, was kidnapped, according to security sources. The report states that the businessman was abducted at 9:00 a.m. this Friday outside one of his construction materials businesses, located in the Las Fuentes neighborhood.
A group of armed men forced him into a van. As of now, the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) has not released any information about the incident.
The Salamanca government, headed by Morena party mayor César Prieto Gallardo, confirmed the kidnapping of the businessman. “The incident occurred this Friday morning in the southern part of the city. Upon receiving the report, a joint operation was immediately deployed by security forces from all three levels of government,” the government stated.
It added that the Attorney General’s Office was notified of the crime and is conducting an investigation to arrest the kidnappers and bring them to justice. “All necessary measures are being taken to address this incident. We will continue working in coordination with the relevant authorities to clarify the situation,” he assured.
Gerardo Arrendo ran for mayor of Salamanca in the 2024 election and lost to César Prieto of the Morena party, who was running for reelection. The municipality of Salamanca is plagued by numerous crimes, primarily extortion and protection rackets targeting local businesses.
At the end of January, armed men attacked a group of people at the soccer field in the community of Loma de Flores; 11 people were killed and 12 others were wounded. The federal government attributed the attack to the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL), and the Ministry of Security and Peace announced the arrest of three alleged perpetrators. Attorney General Gerardo Vázquez Alatriste has declined to comment on the case or the detainees.
Source: jornada
