A mayor in central Mexico faces accusations that she staged her own abduction to siphon off about $2 million in public money, authorities said.
Nancy Napoles, municipal president of Tenancingo, has denied the claims and said she will cooperate with investigators. Prosecutors allege that Napoles and relatives planned the fake kidnapping to justify taking government resources already embezzled.
According to the prosecutor's office, three arrested suspects described how armed men seized the mayor at gunpoint. A witness who saw the incident alerted police, forcing the group to abandon the plan.
Authorities released images they say show the staged event and noted inconsistencies in Napoles's account. Her husband and brother-in-law remain at large, while Napoles has no arrest warrant.
Prosecutors have asked Napoles to give testimony on July 9 regarding the simulation of a kidnapping. Napoles belongs to the Morena party of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
