Three men accused of kidnapping and stealing a little girl were lynched by a mob in central Mexico on Saturday, local authorities said.
Lynchings have increased in Mexico in recent years, and experts say the perception of impunity is leading communities to take justice into their own hands.
The trio were killed Saturday afternoon in San Juan Amecac, 42 miles southeast of the capital, Mexico City, a local government statement said.
“Three men died after being arrested and lynched by neighbors for the alleged robbery and kidnapping of a minor,” he said.
Police attended the scene, but the men “were no longer showing vital signs” when they arrived, he added.
About 300 people took part in the lynching, hanging and beating the men to death, according to local media.
The rise in vigilantism is coming amid a broader increase in violence in Mexico since 2006, fueled by drug trafficking.
In June, four men were lynched and then burned in the nearby town of Atlixco by a mob that accused them of stealing a vehicle.
In March, the inhabitants of the southern city of Taxco lynched a woman accused of murdering an eight-year-old girl. Two men also suspected by the locals of involvement were attacked, but survived, the the BBC reported.
Fernando Llano / AP
In 2022, a mob in Mexico attacked a young political advisor and then set fire to it about allegations of child trafficking shared in chat groups.
In 2018, two men were burned to death in Puebla after rumors that they were child kidnappers were spread on WhatsApp. BBC News reports. The rumors turned out to be false.