Gang attacks police in central Mexico, kills 3, abducts 5

MEXICO CITY (AP)- A heavily-armed gang has killed three police officers and abducted four officers and a judge in central Mexico, prosecutors said Thursday.

The gang attacked a municipal police station in the state of Guanajuato with rifles and hand grenades on Wednesday. State prosecutors said the whereabouts of the missing officers remains unknown.

One of the deceased officers was a woman; another officer was wounded in the attack on the police station in the city of Villagran.

Guanajuato has seen a surge in violence in recent years often associated with gangs who steal fuel from government pipelines. The state is home to picturesque colonial cities like San Miguel de Allende, popular among tourists.

But even in San Miguel, homicides have tripled in the first 10 months of 2019, reaching 76, compared to 24 in the same period of 2018.