Overview
- The pattern began on June 13, when a man was found bound to a streetlight in Lagos de Moreno with a sign calling him a thief, and four similar cases have since appeared.
- Authorities say at least five people were left taped or bound to poles over roughly ten days and that the men were freed and treated for injuries, including signs of beating.
- Jalisco’s Secretary of Public Security confirmed a criminal investigation is under way, officers are tracking two vehicles they believe are connected, and no arrests have been made.
- Police have not identified whether a lone person, a small group, or organized-crime actors carried out the detentions, and those found have so far not filed charges against whoever bound them.
- Local frustration over a reported rise in motorcycle thefts helps explain some public support for the vigilante, but officials and rights groups warn the episodes risk normalizing extrajudicial punishment and could encourage copycats.