Valle de Bravo, a popular tourist town in central Mexico, has become the latest town in the country to see heightened numbers of kidnappings.

On Tuesday, state officials said that at least seven people were kidnapped in the town, EFE reports. Three of them have already been released.

Mexico state Government Secretary Jose Manzur said that three kidnappings were reported recently. The first person kidnapped has since been released, and three suspects were arrested, the official said.

"[Of the other] six victims, two have been freed," Manzur reportedly told Radio Fórmula.

The other four people, however, "are in the hands of the kidnappers," he added.

"Certainly, we will have good news in the next few hours," Manzur said.

According to Manzur, two gangs are responsible for the kidnappings. The Mexico state government, which includes part of Mexico City, has attempted to fight the gangs' kidnappings by use of a special operation and by placing more police officers in Valle de Bravo.

"It is essential that there be peace in Valle de Bravo [so tourists will visit] in total tranquility," Manzur said.

In the past month, Valle de Bravo has seen 15 kidnappings. The victims have claimed that drug traffickers from other states were responsible, according to Alto al Secuestro (Stop Kidnapping), a non-governmental organization founded by activist Isabel Miranda de Wallace.

From Dec. 1, 2012 until July 31 of this year, 4,809 kidnappings have happened (a rate of approximately one every three hours), according to Alto al Secuesrto data cited by EFE. Official figures, on the other hand, report 2,634 kidnappings between Dec. 1, 2012 and June 30.

On Aug. 15, the U.S. Department of State updated its Jan. 9, 2014 Mexico Travel Warning, warning U.S. travelers of "threats to safety and security posed by organized criminal groups in the country."

"U.S. citizens have been the target of violent crimes, such as kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery by organized criminal groups in various Mexican states," it says.

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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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