Cancun, Q.R. — Cancun police have attended to two cases of kidnapping and telephone extortion that came from prisoners in the state of Tamaulipas. Two families fell victim to the virtual kidnappings where threats were made and money demanded.
Police say a Cancun woman was receiving WhatsApp messages from an unknown number posing as her son. From another number, a message demand 200,000 pesos. They sent her a photo of her son standing with his hands behind his back and a brick wall in the background.
In the second case, a Cancun woman said she received a WhatsApp video call from her son’s number. During the call, he asked her not to alert the police and to follow the instructions. Later, a hooded individual took control of the call and claimed to have kidnapped the young man, demanding a payment of 500,000 pesos to spare him from harm.
“Under constant pressure and threats the complainant managed to raise approximately 101,000 pesos through withdrawals from her bank accounts and loans from relatives. This amount was deposited into various accounts provided by the extortionists,” police said.
The victim was psychologically manipulated to simulate his kidnapping and pressure his parents while being monitored via video call. He was eventually released with threats and warnings not to report the crime.
Thanks to the intervention of the Centurión Group, in coordination with the Quintana Roo State Attorney General’s Office, the victim’s phone number was tracked through geolocation and he was located alive and in good condition.
In both cases, the extortion numbers and the calls were verified that they had come from inside the CERESO prison in Altamira, Tamaulipas.
