Mexico

The police in one of Mexico’s largest cities were witness to a gruesome sight as they found seven dead bodies inside a car on a busy street, each with “hand-written messages” detailing why they were killed. 

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What we know about the incident

According to the prosecutors in the central state of Puebla, Mexico, out of the seven bodies found, five were decapitated, and another was completely dismembered. 

The car, inside which the bodies were found, was reportedly left in the middle of traffic on a main expressway in the city of Puebla, on Friday (Apr 5).

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“On each of the bodies, we found hand-written messages written on paper, each one detailing the reason they were killed,” said Puebla state chief prosecutor Gilberto Higuera.

However, he did not mention whether the deaths might be related to drug cartels but said that the car was stolen. 

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Higuera added that the incident was “not only a dispute (between gangs) but also something related to dominance over certain people, aimed at not only domination, but recruitment.” 

The police came to know about the car as it was blocking the traffic on the city’s main ring road. 

Notably, while drug cartel murders are common, these grisly killings have garnered attention as they occurred in the relatively affluent city of Puebla. 

Puebla is Mexico’s fifth largest city and witnesses relatively less drug cartel-related violence. However, it is not entirely spared, as the state has witnessed 200 murders in the first three months of this year, according to the data from Puebla state prosecutor’s office.

Also Read | Mexico president mourns killing of two local candidates ahead of general elections 

It is also not uncommon for some cartels in Mexico, when they seek to establish a territory as their own to kill rivals, petty thieves or drug dealers, and leave a message telling the locals that such activities will not be tolerated under their rule. 

Two local candidates killed ahead of elections

Earlier this month, a mayoral and a city council candidate in the Mexican city of Celaya were killed ahead of the country’s general elections which have been marred by violence. 

Bertha Gisela Gaytán, a mayoral candidate for Celaya, was killed in a shooting on April 1, hours after she requested protection, while city council candidate Adrián Guerrero, who was wounded during the same attack, died the next day. 

At least 14 candidates have been killed since the beginning of this year and ahead of the June 2 elections. 

(With inputs from agencies)