In the Mexico City suburb of Iztapalapa, the body of a man was found hanging over a busy road bridge on Monday. The body was wrapped in white bandages much like that of a mummy, and his face was covered by a black mask.
The incident was reported to authorities at around 4am by motorists who said that they saw something hanging from the bridge.
Investigators have stated that the victim was shot twice in the head after being tortured. The deceased man is believed to have been in his 30s. Authorities are still investigating the murder.
Iztapalapa is the most densely populated area of Mexico City. More than 2 million people live in the area, which is about 39 square miles in size. The area is known for having the highest rate of crime in the city.
The action reminded many citizens of the violence and sadistic killings that were commonplace during the peak of Mexico’s drug war. Mexican mafias were known for terrorizing communities in many portions of the country.
One such gang, the Zetas, were well-known for conducting similar ritualistic killings. The group was constantly at odds with the Gulf Cartel for the control of drug routes earlier this decade.
However, ritualistic killings were rare in Mexico City, even during the peak of the drug war, as many people considered the country’s capital city to be a safe haven from the drug cartels.
But recently, several events in the city have started to change this perception.
Last May, a shootout took place at one of the office of a prosecutor as a group of armed men helped to free a leader of the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel.
In June, a bar owner in the Condesa neighborhood was shot and killed when he got out of his vehicle.
Mexico City has had 1,147 homicides from the start of this year to August. This is the highest rate of murder for the city in 17 years. City officials have insisted that this increase in the number of murders does not mean that drug cartels are coming into the city.
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