Follow-up: Hoax behind Peruvian fat ring

Last month we mentioned about a suspected Peruvian criminal gang that allegedly trafficked in human fat. A pair of commentators expressed their doubts over their story and their skepticism was proven correct. However, the truth behind the story appears to be grisly and very discomforting:

Police General Eusebio Felix Murga was removed less than two weeks after telling a press conference that four Peruvians had been detained and two unnamed Italians were sought for buying human fat for as much as 15,000 dollars a liter to be used in European cosmetics.

National police chief Miguel Hidalgo told reporters that Felix Murga would be transferred to another post and that "an investigation was launched to determine the truthfulness of the case of the gang," after local news reports contradicted the police and no evidence seemed to back up the police claims.

Investigators are also looking into whether Murga may have had a role in the death a man that officials said was the only victim rather than the sixty initially claimed by Murga. In the meantime, the mayor of the region where Murga was headquartered has bemoaned the “ruse of bad taste" which has affected the area’s image.

Image- BBC News

Online Sources- BBC News, The Latin Americanist, AFP, Reuters