Yahoo Finance Football Star Kidnapping Sparks Massive Manhunt
Police in Mexico have mounted a large search operation to find national football player Alan Pulido, who was abducted in the crime-plagued northern state of Tamaulipas.
State prosecutor Ismael Quintanilla said Pulido, 25, was intercepted in the early hours of Sunday by an armed gang after leaving a party near his hometown of Ciudad Victoria.
"We have information that he was intercepted by armed persons and since then his whereabouts are unknown," he said.
Local media reported that Pulido had accompanied his girlfriend to the party and that the car they were in was intercepted by a convoy of vans that blocked the road and forced him out.
The woman was released almost immediately, but said she had no idea where Pulido had been taken.
Federal and state security agents said on its Twitter account that it has launched a "special operation" to find the striker.
Journalists in the state reported an unusual deployment of troops and police on the streets, while at least two police or military-style helicopters flew overhead.
Pulido has made a number of appearances for Mexico's national team and also plays for the Greek team Olympiakos.
Tamaulipas is one of Mexico's most dangerous states, where drug trafficking and kidnappings are rampant.
Some roads are so dangerous that police often escort travellers in protective convoys.
Around 5,000 people are listed as "disappeared" in Tamaulipas, out of a total 26,000 people reported missing in Mexico last year.
But according to the non-governmental organisation Families and Friends of the Disappeared in Tamaulipas, 11,000 people are unaccounted for in the state.
Pulido's Greek team said it hoped for a good outcome.
"At this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with Alan," Olympiakos said on its Twitter account.
Former teammates on Mexico's national team also went on social networks to offer their support for his welfare.
"A shame what happened," goalkeeper Jesus Corona tweeted. "My prayers are with him and his family at this difficult time."
