Four people have been arrested in Peru on suspicion of killing some 60 people to sell their fat and other human tissue to Italian co-conspirators for cosmetic use in Europe, authorities said on Thursday.
The suspects were arrested in central Peru this month and a search is underway for seven others � including two Italian citizens whose names were not revealed � lead prosecutor Jorge Sans Quiroz told AFP.
The fat was purchased "to be commercialized in European (cosmetology) laboratories," he said.
The prosecutor's indictment said the gang allegedly targeted farmers and indigenous people on remote Andean roads, tricking them by offering jobs before killing them.
One reported killing took place in mid-September to remove human tissue for trafficking.
The trafficking network could be linked to 60 individual disappearances in the central Andean region, although the ties could not be confirmed.
Police began arrests after discovering early this month a container with human fat that was being shipped to Lima from the Andean city of Huanuco, some 400 kilometres northeast of Lima.
Signs of "an international network trafficking human fat" first surfaced about two months ago, according to General Felix Burga, head of the police criminal division.
Peruvian press cited him as saying the fat can be sold for 15 000 dollars per gallon (3.8 litres) in European countries.
The alleged plot revived the Andean legend of the "Pishtacos," white foreigners who were said to suck the fat out of people traveling on lonely roads at night, making fine soaps, lubricants, healing salves and beauty creams out of the tissue.
"Human Tissue"
At a news conference in the capital, police showed reporters two bottles containing human body fat and images of one of the alleged victims.
One of the alleged killings is reported to have taken place in mid-September, with the person's body tissue removed for sale.
Cmdr Angel Toledo told Reuters news agency some of the suspects had "declared and stated how they murdered people with the aim being to extract their fat in rudimentary labs and sell it".
Police said they suspect the fat was sold to cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies in Europe, but have not confirmed any such connection.
Human fat is used in modern cosmetic procedures but in most cases it is the patient's own fat that is used and under strict legal guidelines.
Medical authorities have expressed scepticism about a black market for human fat, partly because of the wide availability of fat for use in surgical procedures.
Source: AFP/BBC-Americas
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |