http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mp ... al/3308593

Aug. 13, 2005, 8:54PM



CITIZEN'S ARREST
Mexican citizens are pressuring their government to take their country back from criminals
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

A nation's crime problem has clearly run amok when the word "kidnap" is no longer sufficiently descriptive. Such is the case with Mexico, where the rate of abductions now outpaces that in Colombia, and where kidnapping has grown into a specialized science.

According to a spokeswoman for the citizens' group Mexicans United Against Crime, abducting wealthy businessmen is only one option for Mexico's gangsters. There's also "express kidnapping," in which a middle-class victim is driven straight to an ATM and forced to empty her account.

Then there's "virtual kidnapping," in which relatives are told a loved one has been snatched and only instant payment will assure his life. Virtual kidnappers carefully choose subjects out of cell phone contact â€â€