Body Parts
© europics.at
A Ukrainian gang that took medical waste that included body parts and disease testing samples for cremation dumped it all in local woodlands instead of burning it.

The gang reportedly made hundreds of thousands of pounds collecting medical waste including amputated limbs and aborted foetuses from hospitals in Zaporizhia Oblast in southern Ukraine.

They also collected other biologically hazardous waste including parts from veterinary surgeries and laboratory samples awaiting safe disposal.

The gang's activities were uncovered when surprised mushroom pickers spotted sack-loads of amputated limbs dumped around the woods.

Police wearing special germ warfare clothing had the job of collecting the various body parts while avoiding infection by the biohazard waste they had to sift through.

A spokesperson said: "It was a very difficult job. It was clear right from the start that the body parts had been professionally removed and so it was just a question of finding out the medical establishments where this happened."

The gang had been rorting local councils who had subcontracted the disposal of clinical waste to them. They claimed they were cremating it at a state-of-the-art facility that included special filters to ensure environmental safety.

But the reality was that initially they buried it, and then eventually they simply dumped the bags in remote locations.

The fraudsters have since been arrested and face jail terms of up to eight years.