DiamondGeezer

Four people have been arrested in Peru on suspicion of killing dozens of people in order to sell their fat and tissue for cosmetic uses in Europe.

The gang allegedly targeted people on remote roads, luring them with fake job offers before killing them and extracting their fat.

The liquidised product fetched $15,000 (£9,000) a litre and police suspect it was sold on to companies in Europe.

At least five other suspects, including two Italian nationals, remain at large.

Police said the gang could be behind the disappearances of up to 60 people in Peru's Huanuco and Pasco regions.

One of those arrested told police the ringleader had been killing people for their fat for more than three decades.

The gang has been referred to as the Pishtacos, after an ancient Peruvian legend of killers who attack people on lonely roads and murder them for their fat.

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.

'Detailed confession'

Gen Felix Burga, head of Peru's police criminal division, said there were indications that "an international network trafficking human fat" was operating from Peru.

The first person was arrested earlier this month in a bus station in Lima, carrying a shipment of the fat.

The Associated Press news agency quoted Col Jorge Mejia as saying one of the suspects had described to police in detail how the victims were killed and their fat removed.

The suspect said the fat was then sold to intermediaries in Lima and that the gang's leader, Hilario Cudena, had been carrying out such murders for decades, AP reported.

The alleged buyers of the fat are also being hunted by police

BBC News - 'Fat for cosmetics' murder suspects arrested in Peru

DiamondGeezer

Really hope that goose fat I've got to roast my spuds is goose fat

mozr

That's why Beyonce's arse reminds me of Machu Picchu.

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Anthropogenically killing the planet since 1977! 'Skin colour is irrelevant' - Nick Griffin!

Munkey

I guess we've found our solution to recession. We should round up all the burger chomping balti eating fatties and melt them down to sell the refined fat lard to ugly nations.

I read on the internet there are countries where women have to hide their faces as they're so hideous looking.

bod

just put me off my brekkie

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Seedy_r0m

First rule of Fight Club is:

You do not talk about Fight Club.

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wonko

"The gang has been referred to as the Pishtacos, after an ancient Peruvian legend of killers who attack people on lonely roads and murder them for their fat"

hmm...lot of trade in ancient times between peru and europe then?

and I thought we had our own fat people to chop up? this chopping up peruvians and then flyign the bits to europe is just enviromentlally unfriendly - tho tbh I havent done a full anaylsis - it may be that the damage done by the flight is offset completely by the reduction in burgers eaten

pks00

off to the states and most likely be eating shedloads of fatty foods. mouth dripping alreasdy as cant wait to tuck into those burrito's from del taco. jalapeno poppers in jack in the box and those tasty burgers and peppers from in and out. hmmmmmm

anyways back to the story, bit shocking that. never thought fat would be of use except to the cannibals that is.

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