Case file · Folklore / legend
The 'pishtaco gang' of Huánuco
In November 2009 Peruvian police announced they had broken up a gang that murdered people to sell their fat abroad, echoing the Andean pishtaco legend; the claim collapsed within weeks.
2009 CE · -9.93, -76.24 · status: hoax
The account
The pishtaco, a pale outsider who steals human fat, is recorded since colonial times. The police story spread worldwide before officials admitted there was no evidence; senior officers were suspended amid suspicion that it diverted attention from unexplained killings.
The sceptical view
No fat trade or victims linked to it were proven; the case shows the legend still shapes official and popular fears.