The former mayor of Iguala Jose Luis Abarca and his wife, who are linked to the disappearance of 43 students, were arrested in Mexico City this morning.

The arrest was made in the area of Iztapalapa, in Mexico City, through an operation by federal police, as reported by their spokesman José Ramón Salinas via Twitter.

Abarca and his wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda, testified this morning in the Office of the Deputy Attorney Specialized Crime Investigation (SIEDO).

The municipal president is accused of murder, attempted murder and forced disappearance for the death of six people, as well as the disappearance of 43 students from the normal rural de Ayotzinapa school.

Proceso reported that the mayor's wife is accused of leading the cartel Guerreros Unidos,which is linked to the disappearance of the missing students.

Abarca and Pineda were fugitives for more than a month. An early announcement of their arrest was made by journalist Joaquin Lopez Dóriga on his Twitter account and confirmed by local media the following hours.

The former mayor and his wife were arrested at a house they were renting in Iztapalapa. The owners of the property alerted police of their presence.

The case began the night of Sept. 26 when six people were killed, 25 injured and 43 students were arrested and handed over to the cartel Guerreros Unidos, which is responsible for their disappearance, according to investigations by the Attorney General of Mexico.

So far, more than 50 people have been detained in connection with the forced disappearances, including police officers from Iguala and the neighboring municipality of Cocula, as well as members of the cartel. Its leader, Sidronio Casarrubias, revealed to federal investigators that each month the cartel gave large sums of money to the mayor and even decided who became part of the police force.