Rough Justice On The Crime Infested Streets Of Guatemala
An angry mob burnt alive three men accused of kidnapping and killing an 11-year-old boy.
Police in Guatemala had already arrested the trio after locals in and around Colotenango reportedly tracked them down and turned them in.
The three men are believed to have snatched young Freddy Eliseo Mendez Pablo as he walked to school on 11th August.
They allegedly sent a photo of the minor held by one of his captors wielding a shotgun to his family.
They demanded a ransom payment of GTQ 100,000 ( 12,000 Euros ) for his release.
His parents reportedly managed to raise and deliver half the amount, but it was not enough for the kidnappers.
They allegedly killed the boy and dumped him in a 10-foot-deep septic tank, where his body was later found.
His murder caused uproar and prompted locals from in and around Colotenango to identify and catch the suspects.
They handed them over to police, but as officers went to take them to court on 22nd August, an angry mob intercepted them.
The mob, reportedly comprised of some 6,000 people, beat the men before dousing them with petrol and setting them on fire.
Angry locals also went to the home of one of the alleged kidnappers and set it alight.
Police could do nothing to save the men, who burnt to death and whose bodies were reportedly left unrecognisable.
They were named in reports as Selvin Perez Morales, Samuel Domingo Godinez and Ovidio Mendez Gabriel.
Two were 24 years old and one was aged 38, according to reports.
At the time of reporting, officers had not yet been able to arrest any of the lynch mob, as their work was being hampered by angry locals.
Guatemala had a homicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021.