Two young women and one girl have been brutally tortured and killed in Argentina, with the acts of violence broadcast live on social media.
According to local media, the bodies of Brenda del Castillo, 20, Morena Verdi, 21, and Lara Gutierrez, 15, were found at a property in a southern suburb of Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
Security Minister Javier Alonso said their torture and murder was broadcast live on Instagram, in a broadcast watched by about 45 people.
“They were last seen getting into a vehicle voluntarily because they had been invited to an event, not knowing they were falling into a trap set for them by an international drugs trafficking gang which had hatched a plan to kill them,” Alonso said.
“The torture session was streamed live on social media – not recorded, broadcast live – to a private Instagram group, and apparently about 45 people watched it.
“The drug trafficking organisation has its operational command in Buenos Aires and they had chosen this house to carry out the murders.”
Local media reported the women’s bodies were found five days after the attack, buried at the property. Officials say the murders were carried out as an “act of revenge” by the narco gang. Reports suggest the female victims had been accused of stealing four kilograms of cocaine.
Twelve people are now in custody, according to reports.
Women’s rights groups have labelled the horrific crimes against the young women as a triple femicide.
The violence comes in the same year that the government announced it would repeal the crime of femicide from the criminal code amid a pushback on feminism under far-right leader President Javier Milei.