Guanajuato police chief detained in León for kidnapping

May 22, 2019

The police chief during his arrest, one of the victims and confiscated weapons and phones.

The police chief of Manuel Doblado was arrested in León on Monday night when he was caught in the act of kidnapping two young women.

A vehicle driven by Alejandro Alaniz Muñoz was pulled over by Federal Police during an anti-fuel theft operation. Inside, police discovered two women, aged 18 and 23, bound hand and foot with their mouths gagged with masking tape.

Authorities also found firearms, ammunition and cell phones.

Manuel Doblado Mayor Gustavo Adolfo Alfaro Reyes said the incident was something no one expected and has generated dismay among members of the municipal police.

He said the chief clearly committed a crime and will face the appropriate legal consequences.

Alaniz, 37, was named police chief in October of 2018 at the beginning of the term of the current administration. Previously, he was a member of a special state police force created to combat organized crime.

According to statistics provided by the National Geography and Statistics Institute (INEGI), 6 out of 10 interactions between citizens and police in Mexico are marked by some form of corruption, but only 4.6% victims of corrupt police actions by report the acts.