5 Arrested in Raids on Mexico Kidnapping Ring

Mexican authorities raided a kidnapping ring that filmed its victims locked inside a cage and being beaten, federal authorities said Saturday. An abducted businessman was freed and five people were arrested.

Police also confiscated an iron cage in the raids Friday at two houses on the outskirts of Mexico City that led to the arrests of five men ages 18 to 31, the federal attorney general’s office said.

The businessman had been held for ransom since May 19 by the group, which was known for filming its victims inside a cage or while being beaten to increase pressure on relatives for money, prosecutors said.

A cache of arms, including assault rifles and a submachine gun, was found at the houses, authorities said.

A federal investigation of the group began after the kidnapping of a Mexico City woman in March 2003.

The gang, which operated in the capital and outlying areas in Puebla and Mexico states, typically abducted its victims as they left home in the morning or were on their way to work. They would demand as much as $1 million from relatives, according to a government statement.

Victims were held for as long as three months, and released on the outer reaches of the Mexico City area.

It was unclear how many people were abducted or how many were suspected of participating in the ring. The attorney general’s office could not provide more details Saturday.

Kidnappings for ransom are fairly common in Mexico, but people are often reluctant to report them to police, out of fear that corrupt officers may be involved in the abductions or that authorities might kill the victim along with the kidnappers in any rescue effort.