Experts Raise Doubts Over Kidnapped Mexican Football Star's Heroic Escape Agence France-Presse
go to original June 1, 2016

Alan Pulido (Agence France-Presse)

Mexican football star Alan Pulido emerged as a hero after beating a kidnapper and taking his phone to escape a nightmare of captivity in barely 24 hours.

But in a nation where the population has grown to deeply distrust the words and actions of the authorities, many are now asking if the miraculous details are indeed to good to be true.

The apparent incompetence of a gang specialized in kidnappings surprised security experts, who note that few victims ever get away in a country where thousands disappear each year.

The timing also raised eyebrows, as the kidnapping took place just days before gubernatorial elections in the crime-ridden northeastern state of Tamaulipas on Sunday.

High-profile cases often fuel conspiracy theories in Mexico. The authorities have contributed to the skepticism by failing to solve cases or by lacking consistency in their public statements about investigations.

The most recent example is the disappearance of 43 students in 2014, as independent experts rejected the government's conclusion that the young men's bodies were burned at a garbage dump.

"The doubts have been built over a mountain of lies built over decades," Alejandro Hope, editor of ElDailyPost.com and a former Mexican intelligence agency official, told AFP.

"How do you fight that? With transparency," he said.

Read the rest at 9News

Related: Mexico Arrests Alleged Mastermind of Soccer Player Alan Pulido's Abduction (IANS)

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!