Businessman and former PAN candidate for mayor of Salamanca, Gerardo Arredondo, was released unharmed on the night of February 6 after being kidnapped by an armed group that morning. The rescue operation, coordinated by state and federal authorities, led to three arrests and one fatality. The incident occurs amid a wave of violence sweeping Guanajuato.
Gerardo Arredondo, a civil engineer and former Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) candidate for mayor of Salamanca in the 2024 elections, was kidnapped on the morning of Friday, February 6 in the south zone of the city while arriving at one of his businesses. Hours later, Guanajuato Governor Libia Dennise García Muñoz Ledo confirmed his release in a joint operation between the Secretariat of Security and Peace and the Mexican Army.
The operation, carried out by Investigation Criminal agents led by the Public Ministry, took place in the municipality of Juventino Rosas. "In a coordinated operation between the Secretariat of Security and Peace and the Mexican Army, we achieved the release of this Salamanca businessman. He is safe and sound. He is already with his family. There were three detainees and one killed," the governor stated.
Arredondo, who lost the election to César Prieto Gallardo of Morena, has been the representative of the Salamanca Business Association since September 2021 and has promoted initiatives such as school rehabilitation after the pandemic. He also runs a podcast called 'Gerardo Te Escucha'.
This kidnapping adds to the security crisis in the region. At the end of January, 11 people were executed at a soccer field in Salamanca in a cartel settling of scores between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel. Recently, clandestine graves were found in Cortazar with at least 15 bodies, and in Santa Cruz de Juventino Rosas with 18 human remains. Mayor Prieto has requested federal help, acknowledging a 'grave moment of social decomposition' in the municipality.
In Salvatierra, during the same early morning, an armed attack left three dead and two injured, underscoring the ongoing violence in Guanajuato.
