La Voz de la Frontera
February 25, 2015
By Juan Galvan
Arrest warrants have been issued for six officers of the Municipal Police of Mexicali, four men and two women, who are being sought as suspects in the kidnapping of a man and two minors in the Carranza colony, south of Mexicali Valley, last January.
A judge granted arrest warrants based on the evidence gathered by the Attorney General of the State (PGJE).
The municipal police are Brenda "N", Monica "N", Eduardo "N", Sergio "N", Arturo "N", and Jesus "N", who are being investigated in relation to the unauthorized detention of three residents of Mexicali, thereby abusing their position as public servants.
An unofficial, but reliable, source indicates that agents of the Municipal and Ministerial Police were ordered to look for the police officers several days after their suspension, due to activities reported by their victims.
With arrest warrants in hand, authorities maintain an intensive search for the accused, notwithstanding that the PGJE neither confirm nor deny the accusations, but merely maintain they can not give any information about it, to avoid interfering with due process and the rights of the accused.
Prosecutors from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Deputy Against Organized Crime, the legal body handling the case, were in charge of evidence recovery and taking the statements of the victims. Their investigation resulted in the charge of kidnapping, despite the fact the accused were municipal police.
It was originally reported that thirteen Mexicali Valley DSPM officers were being investigated in connection with the kidnapping of a pig farmer, Jorge Sánchez López, his son and an employee. 35,000 pesos was asked for their release. The alleged kidnapping occurred on Sunday, the 4th of January.
Heavily armed DSPM officers arrived at the man's ranch, located between the ejido Nayarit and Carranza colony, placed the victims in patrol cars, removed them to a location near the Cayman, and began negotiations with family members.
Later, Sánchez López went to Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, to the facilities of the PGJE, where he formalized a complaint against the officers, who had threatened to kill him and his family.
The Municipal Trustee, acting unilaterally, suspended several of the agents involved, which was a mistake because the investigation had already been initiated.
No authority has confirmed or denied the facts, since the judicial system is very strict with the presumption of innocence and protection of due process. What is real is that case agents already have injunctions against the aforementioned officers.