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Spain –
A gang that illegally traded in bodies has been busted in Spain. Especially in the city of Valencia, they forged papers and documents to obtain the bodies of deceased people in hospitals and nursing homes, the National Police said on Monday. The bodies were then sold to universities for study purposes for 1,200 euros each. Four suspects have been arrested.
The suspects chose deceased people without surviving relatives, mainly foreigners, or who lived in precarious circumstances, according to a statement from the National Police. A funeral company involved also collected a total of 5,000 euros from universities for at least eleven cremations that were not realized.
Medical faculties of universities need bodies for training doctors. But there are often insufficient bodies for this, despite body donation.