Indian police have said a gang murdered a teenager and removed his testicles, believing they could sell them for nearly £100,000 on the black market. The suspects allegedly watched a social media video promoting a hoax about the value of human testicles, then killed 17-year-old Rehan before cutting his testicles off with a blade.
The victim was a street vendor who sold pens and key chains in a market near Iqbal Maidan in Bhopal, central India. Police arrested the prime suspect, Zoheb Khan, a 20-year-old business student, and Aamir Qureshi, 18, and detained three minors. Khan allegedly recruited the group and convinced them that testicles could fetch about 12 million Indian rupees (£92,465) on the black market in the Gulf.
Gang's plan and murder details
Khan allegedly pretended to be a doctor and convinced his collaborators that he knew how to remove the organs. According to police, he bought a white apron, stethoscope and thermometer online and used them while training the group. On August 6, two minors approached Rehan at his stall and offered him Rs 100 (£0.77) to help with an alleged fight near Khatlapura on Lower Lake, and lured him to a secluded area where four people brutally stabbed him. Khan allegedly instructed them over a video call, according to police account cited by The Telegraph.
They kept Rehan's testicles packed in ice for two days while trying to find a buyer. When the effort failed, Khan ordered the group to dispose of the organs in separate lakes.
Investigation and recovery
Police recovered Rehan's body from Lower Lake near Dhobi Ghat on August 10. They identified him from a tattoo five days after his mother had reported him missing. A post-mortem examination found fatal injuries and confirmed that his testicles had been removed. Police have since recovered the knife they believe the gang used to kill Rehan and deployed divers to search the waters for his testicles.
Santosh Patel, Bhopal's assistant commissioner of police, said the search would prove difficult and officers were relying on the suspects to identify where they had disposed of them. Investigators have also identified people whom the gang allegedly approached as potential buyers and are questioning them about whether any sale was planned.
Ongoing inquiries
Police are also investigating whether "any reel claiming to fetch a price for testicles really existed," according to the Deccan Chronicle. They have not found any links to any organised trafficking ring, The Times of India and NDTV reported.
