Aug 18, 1:05 PM EDT


Suspected kidnappers beaten by angry mob in Mexico




MEXICO CITY (AP) -- The mayor of a Mexican town says he saved seven alleged kidnappers after they were brutally beaten by angry townspeople who accused them of trying to snatch a local man.

Mayor Jose Villalba recounted Monday how he negotiated with the mob to persuade them to turn the men over to state police.

Town officials say the residents were outraged by recent kidnappings. The men allegedly had posed as police and shot a man during a kidnap attempt in the town of Tlapanala on Saturday.

Tlapanala is located in the central state of Puebla. State authorities said a criminal investigation had been opened and that the men had been taken to local hospitals on Sunday for treatment of "severe injuries."


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