Eight people have been arrested in connection with the death of a 24-year-old man Monday night at the hands of a lynch mob in Cuajimalpa, Mexico City, wrongly accused of being a robachicos, or child snatcher.

The city’s Public Security Secretariat said in a statement that it received the report of a citizens’ arrest in the town of San Mateo Tlaltenango at around 9:30pm.

Upon arrival, police found that the alleged child snatcher had been seized by a mob and taken to a church, where he was detained and beaten.

The officers requested backup before attempting to rescue the man, but the mob fought back while continuing to beat the victim inside the church.

Police were eventually able to rescue the victim but he died soon after.

However, he gave police a statement before he died, explaining he was in the town visiting a relative. While he was waiting, he said, a young boy saw him on the street and ran away scared, triggering the child-snatcher accusation.

State police arrested eight people between 20 and 59 years of age for obstructing police and medical personnel and resisting arrest.

Source: El Sol de México (sp)