Mexico City, Jan 3 (IANS/EFE) An average of 49 kidnappings occurred every day in Mexico in 2011, a report said.
The Council for Law and Human Rights said a total of 17,889 kidnappings took place last year, up 32 percent from the 13,505 abductions registered in 2010.
Fernando Ruiz, president of the non-governmental organisation, said the figures do not include ‘express kidnappings’, in which a victim is held for only a few hours.
Hundreds of express kidnappings occur in Mexico City daily, with taxi drivers usually assisting the criminals, he said.
The number of kidnapping cases in which police and soldiers were involved rose from 70 percent in the first half of 2011 to 80 percent in the second half of the year.
‘Their level of participation ranges from leaking information about a victim’s profile to providing protection during the actual kidnapping and directly carrying out the kidnapping,’ Ruiz said.
About one-third of the kidnappers arrested by police, according to official figures, have links to drug cartels.
The Council for Law and Human Rights, founded in 1991, provides assistance to kidnapping and extortion victims, and works to root out corruption in police.
