The torso of a Chinese woman was found in an apartment complex in Antwerp, Belgium, with investigators believing she may have been linked to a prostitution ring.
The upper half of the 50-year-old Chinese national’s body was found in a suitcase in the basement of an apartment building on January 27 and was recently identified by prosecutors.
Following the discovery of the body, investigators found other body parts nearby. A source familiar with the matter said investigators believe the woman was linked to prostitution rings, according to the French newspaper Le Figaro reports.
“The hypothesis is that this criminal organization (of human trafficking) is behind it,” the source told French media.
“It is possible that the facts have a connection with the world of Chinese prostitution.”
Italian teenager killed and cut to pieces, Nigerian migrant arrested https://t.co/lEvz2ZPFNB
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondres) February 2, 2018
On Tuesday, police carried out 30 searches in Belgium and Spain in connection with the case, with those targeted mostly Chinese nationals. Nine of the suspects have been taken into custody and face charges of human trafficking and money laundering.
The suspects allegedly organized prostitution through online dating and used private hotels and vacation homes to facilitate sex trafficking.
Police also uncovered at least 20 women believed to be victims of the sex trafficking ring.
The apparent killing comes just months after two Chinese women were murdered in Rome, along with a transgender woman who was stabbed to death in November.
Italian police later named Giandavide De Pau, a drug addict, as the prime suspect in the case and he allegedly killed all three victims with a stiletto heel, killing two of them during sex.
Police said all the women involved worked as prostitutes and the two Chinese women were pimped by a “madam” on an online sex app.
The case in Belgium also partially echoes that of Italian teenager Pamela Mastropietro, who was murdered by a Nigerian drug addict near Rome in early 2018.
Innocent Oseghale dismembered Pamela’s body after killing her and left her in suitcases by the side of a road. He was sentenced to life in prison the following year.
The Paris prosecutor’s office is seeking to indict nine migrants for the murder of 36-year-old transgender prostitute Vanesa Campos. https://t.co/JvzeXDvzXV
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 22, 2021