Five men and a woman were hospitalized this week after their hands were chopped off in what some believe may be a case of vigilante justice in Guadalajara.
The victims had been left beside the railways tracks in Tlaquepaque, near the southern city beltway, together with a plastic bag containing their hands. The body of a 39-year-old man, believed to be the husband of the woman, was also discovered at the scene.
The victims had transparent bags taped to their wrists, presumably to prevent them from bleeding to death. They also had obscene slogans daubed on their foreheads. A handwritten sign left nearby accused them of thievery.
According to police reports, the victims – aged from 25 to 44 – were abducted from several locations in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, as well as the suburb of El Salto.
Later on Tuesday, Jalisco Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer announced that two people had been arrested in connection with the incident and that investigators had identified the house where the mutilations occurred.
The six victims all had previous criminal records for theft, assault and drug dealing, Almaguer said.
The initial reaction from authorities was that the six had been targeted for retribution by a drug cartel. Almaguer said the severing of fingers, ears and hands is a frequent form of “settling scores” between gangs. However, the case for citizen vigilante justice gathered steam as more facts became known.
Vigilante justice is often reported in rural areas of Mexico but has rarely surfaced in cities the size of Guadalajara.