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Kidnapped call center employees are rescued in Cancún

Unofficial sources claim that two people were detained

President López Obrador said there was a dispute between the call center owners - Photo: Daniel Becerril/REUTERS
03/07/2019 |10:33Newsroom & Agencies |
Redacción El Universal
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On Wednesday, the Attorney General of Quintana Roo said that it was investigating the apparent kidnapping of at least 27 people in Cancún last night.

Witnesses reported that unidentified individuals arrived at a call center in two vans and were then seen driving away from the offices with its employees , the Attorney General wrote on Twitter. No signs of struggle or weapons were reported.

The Attorney General’s Office is investigating whether the incident was instigated by a dispute between two former partners of the business, for lack of payment and employee mistreatment by one of the partners.

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“This is the first line of investigation that we have, a conflict between employers . (...) So far, we have not been able to locate the employees, but we are continuing the search,” said the attorney general, Oscar Montes de Oca .

A few hours later, the Public Security Minister of Quintana Roo, Alberto Capella, said that the 27 people had been rescued alive and announced that the Attorney General’s Office will provide more details later.

During his morning news conference, President López Obrador said the case was not a kidnapping and that it was a dispute between two groups that are “not necessarily criminals .”

Unofficial sources claim that five people were detained: including a security guard and one of the owners of the call center , who allegedly planned and executed the kidnapping of the employees.

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