Mexico president's cousin briefly abducted

REUTERS

8:03 a.m. January 3, 2008

MEXICO CITY – A cousin of Mexican President Felipe Calderón was abducted at gunpoint, beaten and held for several hours, Mexican media reported Thursday.

Mexican dailies Reforma and Milenio said armed men seized businessman Alfonso Reyes in the western state of Michoacan Wednesday but dropped him back home four hours later.

It was not clear whether the abduction was related to the president and his battle against organized crime, and Calderón's office could not immediately confirm the incident.

Abductions for extortion are common in Mexico, which has one of the world's highest kidnapping rates. Most common are ”express kidnappings” where criminal gangs abduct victims for a few hours and force them to withdraw cash from bank machines.