A kidnapped Mexican footballer was able to escape from his captors and reach authorities who brought him to safety, according to state officials.
Alan Pulido, a striker for the Mexican national team and Greece’s Olympiacos, was reportedly kidnapped Saturday night in the capital of Tamaulipas, Ciudad Victoria. But Pulido broke free after a fight with one of the captors a day after his abduction, according to CNN.
“After midnight last night there was a phone call to 066 [emergency hotline] from soccer player Alan Pulido and in a moment of carelessness by his captors in the place where he was, he was able to make a phone call asking for help, and giving [his] location where he was,” state prosecutor Ismael Quintanilla told reporters after Pulido’s rescue.
Mr Quintanilla said that the 25-year-old athlete, whose right hand appeared bandaged during the press conference, had punched through a door window during his escape.
The Tamaulipas government issued a statement that said local authorities operated in conjunction with the federal government in carrying out Pulido’s rescue.
“Pulido is currently being medically evaluated and more details on the rescue operation will be sent out later,” the statement read.
Pulido was last seen leaving a party in Ciudad Victoria, his hometown, around 11.30pm local time, according to local news outlets. Several trucks were said to have surrounded the athlete before six armed men wearing masks took Pulido by force and let his girlfriend go free.
Pulido played for the Mexican national team during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He was set to play on the team again for the 2016 Copa America tournament across 10 cities in the US. The tournament begins 3 June.
Ciudad Victoria has been a hotbed of kidnapping in the ongoing war between the Mexican government and drug cartels. Hundreds of people had been reported kidnapped in the city over the past year.
