Two men who worked as clowns named “Pistachon” and “Freski Star” in western Mexico have been arrested in connection with an alleged kidnapping.

The two suspects kidnapped a young man in the state capital Morelia on December 18 when they met him to rent video and sound equipment from the victim for a show, the statement said.

They demanded a 100,000-peso ($7,500) ransom but accepted a first payment of $1,500 from the family and freed their hostage pending a second payment of almost $2,000.

Thankfully, the pair were not dressed as clowns when they were arrested, or it is likely there would have been more casualties, as everyone knows clowns are evil incarnate and have supernatural powers allowing them to spread death and destruction.

(No, I don’t like clowns. At all.)

Mexico, as it turns out, actually has a bit of a clown problem; late in 2013 former druglord Francisco Arellano Felix was shot and killed on his birthday by a clown at the Cabo San Lucas beach resort.

Via Yahoo! News.