Spanish Indie Band 'Virtually Kidnapped' In Mexico City

Spanish Band Is 'Virtually Kidnapped' In Mexico
BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 15: Ekhi Lopetegi of Delorean performs on stage at Sonar on June 15, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Miguel Pereira/WireImage)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 15: Ekhi Lopetegi of Delorean performs on stage at Sonar on June 15, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Miguel Pereira/WireImage)

Spanish band Delorean was freed Tuesday after being “virtually kidnapped” in Mexico, a growing trend where kidnappers don't come into physical contact with their victims while families are extorted via phone.

The band released a statement on their Facebook page saying that on the morning of October 7th they received a phone call in their hotel in Mexico City from someone pretending to be a security officer. The band was in the Mexican capital for a planned tour stop.

The four band members were held for 48 hours before the police found them, according to BBC. The kidnappers were originally asking for 300,000 Euros ($405,600 USD) from the bands family members in Spain. They finally ended up asking for 10,000 Euros ($13,520 USD), reports El Pais.

Kidnappings are a big problem in Mexico. In 2012 the country saw 105,628 kidnappings, according to a survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, a government agency. Yet of these, only 1,317 cases were reported to police.

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