Approximately 200 villagers kidnapped and assaulted a group of Mexican soldiers after a raid aimed at arresting fuel thieves. The violence follows days of unrest in Mexico after federal authorities shut down the country’s oil pipelines in an effort to target fuel thieves.

The violent clash took place in the town of Tula de Allende, Hidalgo when a squad of Mexican soldiers was carrying out an operation targeting the theft of fuel in the area. The soldiers moved to arrest a group of men who were riding in a vehicle carrying stolen fuel.

Unrest in the region escallated following a decision by PMEX, Mexico’s government-owned oil company, to shut down oil pipelines due to the increasing number of fuel thefts.

According to information released to Breitbart News by a Mexican Army spokesman, the chase led to a clash where military troops injured a man known as The Piranha and fatally shot another man identified as Miguel Angel Hernandez Jimenez.

News of Hernandez’s death spread throughout the town bringing out approximately 200 protesters. The protesters circled the military demanding answers for the death of the alleged fuel thief. The townspeople beat five soldiers and then kidnapped three others who they held for six hours.

Military and federal authorities responded to the scene and attempted to calm down the villagers. They eventually secured the release of the three soldiers. It remains unclear if the villagers kept the soldier’s weapons. The town of Tula de Allende is not far from a series of oil pipelines that, according to authorities, have been routinely tapped in large scale fuel theft operations. The region is considered a troublesome area regarding the regular presence of violent fuel-theft gangs in the region who at times have the support of local villagers.