Lázaro Cárdenas, Q.R. — One of four police officers abducted and tortured early this morning has been airlifted to Playa del Carmen. The officer was transferred from the town of Kantunilkín Tuesday after receiving pre-hospital care.
The four officers were abducted around 3:00 a.m. from the town of Ignacio Zaragoza in the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas. The officers were on duty when the building they were in was stormed by armed men.
Four municipal police officers, three men and one woman, were forcefully removed from the building. Residents reported hearing gunfire to police. Local authorities quickly began an intense search for them, locating three of the missing officers around 7:00 a.m. Tuesday.
The three officers were found approximately four hours after their abduction alive but severely beaten. They were left abandoned on a highway near the town. Police did not say how they were found, however, all three were found suffering serious injuries.
One of the officers was transferred to a Playa del Carmen hospital by helicopter two hours after being found due to the seriousness of his injuries.
Police continue their search for the fourth missing municipal officer.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Playa del Carmen Mayor Estefanía Mercado reported on the deployment of the Albatros helicopter to conduct an aeromedical transfer from the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas.
“Responding to a request for assistance, we deployed our Albatros helicopter to transfer a member of the Lázaro Cárdenas Municipal Police who was injured,” she said.
“In coordination with Governor Mara Lezama, this air support was provided to guarantee timely medical attention and safeguard his life.
“We reaffirm our commitment to teamwork between municipalities and agencies to protect those who take care of our people every day.”
According to preliminary information, the transferred officer was in critical condition with open fractures in both a leg and an arm as a result of the assaults suffered during his captivity.
Carlos Montesinos García, the Secretary of Citizen Security (SSC) of Playa del Carmen, reported that the police officer received prehospital care and was transported by an Emergency Medical Response Unit in the helicopter to a Playa del Carmen hospital where he is receiving specialized care.
The helicopter met an ambulance in the Los Almendros sports field of Kantunilkín at 9:00 a.m. to carry out the medical transfer, which was heavily guarded. Both the hospital in Kantunilkín and the hospital in Playa del Carmen remain under heavy guard while the officers are being treated.
So far, no arrests have been reported in connection with the abduction of four municipal police officers.
In March, police stepped up security around the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas including the island of Holbox. The increased security was in response to resident reports of drug houses, extortion and criminal cells. Numerous arrests around the municipality were made due to the increased police presence.
Authorities have not commented if those events are related to the Tuesday morning abduction of the four municipal police officers.
