(CNN Spanish) – In Mexico, the Secretary of Public Security (SSP) of the state of Guerrero reported this Wednesday that it is carrying out an operation to find the whereabouts of Marilú Martínez Núñez, candidate for mayor of Cutzamala de Pinzón by the Citizen Movement, which was deprived of their freedom with their relatives.

“Personnel of the State Police, in coordination with the three levels of government, have deployed an operation to locate the candidate and her family,” the SSP explained in a statement.

The Citizen Movement denounced the kidnappings on Tuesday by an “armed command in Cutzamala de Pinzón” and demanded that state authorities locate them alive.

In its statement, the SSP did not give further details about the incident.

The State Attorney General’s Office also reported this Wednesday that it had initiated an investigation into the incident.

Violence on the rise ahead of the elections

The violence against the candidates has become unheard of. Between September 7, 2020 and May 31 of this year, 89 dead politicians were reported in the midterm election campaign next Sunday, according to data released this Monday by the consulting firm Etellekt.

According to the report, the number of aggressions or criminal acts against political actors in the face of this year’s electoral process reached 782, which exceeds the 774 registered before the 2017-2018 elections.

The Government of Mexico launched a strategy in March that sought to curb political violence and threats to candidates. According to an official press release, the authorities had dealt with 398 cases of threatened or attacked candidates as of May 21.

The Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection reported that between September 2020 and February of this year, 64 homicides had been registered in “crimes related to political events.”