Fake ride-hailing drivers arrested in Mérida for passenger robberies

Mérida, Yucatán — In a coordinated operation by the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP), two individuals were arrested as alleged perpetrators of a series of violent robberies against transportation users, using the method of “fake ride-hailing platform drivers.”

The arrest was carried out near the underpass that connects with Fidel Velázquez Avenue, on the Periferico Oriente of Mérida, where state agents intercepted a Nissan Versa vehicle that was identified through surveillance cameras of the Control, Command, Communication, Computing, and Intelligence Center (C5i), following various citizen reports.

According to unofficial information and preliminary investigations, the alleged criminals operated in a coordinated manner to deceive their victims. One of them drove the car pretending to be a driver for a digital transportation platform and, once the passenger was inside the vehicle, would stop a few meters ahead to allow his accomplice to board the car unexpectedly.

Under threats, they would strip the victims of their belongings, including cell phones, wallets, and cash, and then abandon them in remote areas. It emerged that the capture was the result of several formal complaints filed with the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE), in which the victims provided key descriptions that allowed authorities to track the implicated vehicle.

Finally, the unit was located and secured under the bridge structure of Fidel Velázquez Avenue, where the arrest of both subjects was achieved. After their apprehension, the implicated individuals were transferred to the facilities of the State Attorney General’s Office.

In the coming hours, the initial hearing will take place to determine their legal status and the delineation of responsibilities for the crime of aggravated robbery committed with violence.

Authorities do not rule out that the detainees may be part of a broader criminal group dedicated to assaulting pedestrians in the periphery of Mérida, so investigations remain open.