Edinburg Mayor Richard Garcia and Santiago Mayor Edelmiro Cavazos Leal signed a 'sister city' agreement at Edinburg City Hall on March 23. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

EDINBURG, Aug. 16 - The mayor of a northern Mexico municipality that recently signed a “sister city” agreement with Edinburg has been abducted, according to Mexican officials.

Edelmiro Cavazos Leal, mayor of Villa de Santiago, was kidnapped at his home on Sunday evening by a gang of armed men, state prosecutor Alejandro Garza told reporters.

Garza said Cavazos had just returned from attending a public function on the town's main square when 15 gunmen broke into his home and forced him into a car. Cavazos has not been heard of since and no ransom demand has been made, Garza said.

Nuevo Leon Gov. Rodrigo Medina said he believed Cavazos may have been targeted because of his efforts to tackle corruption in the local police force. The men who abducted Cavazos wore uniforms from a police agency that was dissolved years ago.

Santiago is a prosperous city about 20 miles south of Monterrey. It is home to the “Cola
de Caballo” waterfall and “La Boca” Dam. 

Cavazos visited Edinburg on March 23 to sign a “sister city” agreement with Edinburg Mayor Richard Garcia. At the event, which was held in City Hall, Garcia spoke about the cooperation among the two cities even with rising border violence in the region. 

Prosecutor Garza said the Santiago area has been wracked by bloody drug gang turf battles. He said Cavazos had been “leading the front and showing his face in the fight against organized crime.”

Santiago and the nearby city of Monterrey, the richest in Mexico, are seen as prime targets for gangs who kidnap wealthy citizens for ransom.

The abduction follows a weekend of violence in Monterrey. On Saturday, gangs blockaded 13 major streets in the city, Mexico's third largest.

And on Sunday, an explosive device went off in front of the studios of Mexico's largest television network, Televisa.

Nuevo Leon, the northern state where both Monterrey and Santiago are located, has seen a sharp increase in crime since one of the country's most violent drug gangs, Los Zetas, extended its operations there.

The BBC contributed to this story.

Write Steve Taylor and Joey Gomez

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