WATCH: Armed men kidnap 14 security ministry staff in Mexico

Fourteen administrative employees of the police force in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas were kidnapped by armed men on a highway about 22 miles (around 34 km) west of the state capital Tuxtla Gutierrez said. The 14 state security ministry employees were kidnapped when they were traveling along a highway, local authorities said. “Nothing like this has ever happened,” a ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by Reuters. The spokesperson further informed that the motive for the kidnapping was being investigated. The state security agency in a statement said that both federal and state agents have joined the search. The video of the apparent kidnapping released by news outlets shows several vehicles suddenly stopped on the highway that connects the town of Ocozocoautla and the Tuxtla Gutierrez and the doors opened after which men in tactical gear pointed guns at people in the vehicles.

🔴Hombres armados interceptaron un camión y se llevaron a un número indeterminado de trabajadores administrativos de la Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana en Ocozocoautla, Chiapas#VIDEO: ESPECIAL pic.twitter.com/ZqXK7hrZV3

— El Universal (@El_Universal_Mx) June 28, 2023

Several people were seen with long guns and bulletproof vests next to at least three trucks that blocked the highway. A report in Reforma newspaper said armed men stopped a vehicle that was transporting police employees, took their mobile phones away and ordered them to lie on the ground. The perpetrators set the women in the group free, but captured the men, the report added. The state prosecutor’s office said it was investigating the authenticity of reported photos and video of the incident. According to a report by AFP, confrontations between criminals and law enforcement have surged recently in Ocozocoautla. Notably, the area is a popular transit zone for migrants and drug trafficking. Since the introduction of a controversial military anti-drug offensive in late 2006, Mexico has registered more than 350,000 murders and some 110,000 disappearances, the majority attributed to criminal organisations. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.