The kidnapping with instruction manual included
It appears that the modern organized crime manual now includes a chapter on public relations and crisis management. In a plot twist that not even the most creative scriptwriter would dare to propose, Carlos Cornelio Ortega and Cristóbal Govea González, two taxi drivers who had been deprived of their freedom, made their reappearance in society. The setting? Nothing less than the facilities of the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Mexico, because when you think about turning yourself in to the authorities, what better place than the patio of those who should theoretically persecute you.
The institution, with that solemnity that characterizes official statements, reported that the two men were “taken” – a wonderful euphemism for “we returned what we had taken” – to the Justice Center of Jilotepec. Of course, they didn’t come alone. A group of people kindly escorted them, demonstrating that after-sales service that one does not expect from their captors.
The call center of organized crime
The night before, the Prosecutor’s Office received a call that could very well have won an award for the most surreal customer service. A voice, which kindly identified itself as a member of a criminal group, communicated: “Stop looking for him, we are going to release you tomorrow in Jilotepec, stop entering the fucking area.” One almost expects them to offer a satisfaction survey at the end of the call.
Imagine the scene: officials solemnly taking notes while a criminal gives them logistical instructions on when and where they can pick up their citizens. Have we ended up normalizing violence so much that we now coordinate deliveries as if they were express parcels?
The FGJEM, in an attempt to normalize the absolutely abnormal, added that the taxi drivers had “some minor injuries” and that they were being “certified by the medical examiner.” Because nothing says “they are fine” like needing a forensic medical report to confirm it.
All this absurdity had its origin on Friday, August 22, when the two drivers were heading to the municipality of Acambay – a journey that apparently now requires considering the possibility of a temporary disappearance included in the price of the trip.
The protest that worked (or the most opportune coincidence)
To speed up the delivery process – or because they were really worried – transporters and relatives decided to set up a ten-hour blockade on the Mexico-Querétaro Highway. Ten hours. Enough time to watch several seasons of your favorite series or, apparently, for a criminal group to reevaluate its strategy for retaining people.
Was it social pressure that worked? Or did the captors simply already have a busy schedule and needed to clear their schedule? The official statement does not clarify these crucial details, leaving us wondering whether we are facing a citizen victory or a reorganization of criminal agendas.
The truth is that this picturesque episode reveals the depth of the absurdity in which we live: where criminals give press conferences through telephone calls, authorities receive instructions from criminals, and citizens must celebrate that they give us back what should never have been taken in the first place.
The uncomfortable question remains floating in the air: if these two taxi drivers appeared after a ten-hour blockade, how many hours of protest will be needed for the next ones? Will we have to take a turn? Because this appoinment activism could become the next trend in social protests.
Meanwhile, life goes on in Jilotepec, with the uncomfortable reputation of being the preferred exchange center for express kidnappings. And the Mexico-Querétaro highway recovers its traffic, until the next time citizen desperation decides that blocking roads is the only language that the authorities – and apparently the criminals – understand.
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