In brief
Peruvian police have arrested Tony Janzen Valverde Victoriano, the alleged mastermind behind the murders of two 20-year-old women and a 15-year-old girl in Argentina. The trio was lured to a house in September, where they were tortured and killed, with the act livestreamed on social media. The crime has led to widespread outrage and protests in Argentina.
Police in Peru have arrested a man suspected of having ordered the killing of two 20-year-old women and a 15-year-old girl in Argentina.
The three were lured to a house near the Argentine capital on 19 September.
Their mutilated bodies were found several days later and police revealed that their killers had livestreamed their torture and killing on Instagram.
The brutality of the crime has sent shockwaves through the region, with thousands taking part in anti-femicide protests in Buenos Aires on Sunday.
The security minister of Buenos Aires province, Javier Alonso, stated that cousins Morena Verdi and Brenda del Castillo, both aged 20, and 15-year-old Lara Morena Gutiérrez had been lured by an international drugs gang to the house with a promise of being paid to attend a party.
CCTV footage of them getting into a van with fake number plates enabled police to track them to the location where they were murdered.
Their bodies were found buried in the garden.
The security minister emphasized that their murder was broadcast to a closed group of 45 people, with a voice during the livestream stating this is what happens to those who steal drugs from me.
Argentine police arrested several suspects shortly after the crime, including the individual accused of digging the grave and two others who transported the victims. However, the primary suspect, 20-year-old Tony Janzen Valverde Victoriano, also known as Little J, had managed to evade arrest.
He was detained by police on a motorway 70 km south of the Peruvian capital, Lima, where he was hiding in a van transporting fish.
In another operation, Peruvian police captured 28-year-old Matías Ozorio, believed to be Valverde's right-hand man, who is set to be handed over to Argentine authorities soon.
Peruvian authorities reported that they had intercepted communications between Valverde and Ozorio, aiding in their capture. Ozorio claimed he had been tricked into entering Peru by a drugs gang to which he owed money.
Argentina's security minister commended the efforts of Peruvian police in apprehending the suspects.
