A bride has been arrested on her wedding day and was photographed handcuffed in her big white gown, after police staged an ambush on the ceremony.

Nancy Lizeth had been due to marry fugitive Clemente Mendiola Martinez, nicknamed 'El Raton' or 'The Mouse', who is accused of being a killer for a drug cartel in Mexico. Police followed the woman to the venue and then raided the service. It is not clear if they couple had already exchanged their vows.

Bizarre police mugshots show Lizeth still in her full-length white wedding dress wearing handcuffs and flanked by heavily armed police officers. Her headshot shows her in her veil and tiara and shows her standing beside seven other grim-looking suspects who were guests at the wedding.

Martinez, though, managed to escape the raid and fled leaving his bride to be arrested at the altar, according to local media. He is believed to be a leading cartel member and is said to be wanted for murder in relation to an extortion racket on local poultry farmers. Police and prosecutors consider his bride to be an accomplice and she will also face extortion charges, reports say.

A police mugshot took the place of wedding photos (
Image:
@FiscaliaEdomex/Newsflash)

The Edomex Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that Martinez is a "priority target of this Institution for engaging in criminal activities of homicide and extortion and who has an arrest warrant against him". They added that Lizeth was arrested in "a joint operational action on the day she was to marry Clemente".

Mexican police have offered a MXN 300,000 - around £14,000 - reward for information leading to Martinez's capture.