A former footballer has been arrested on suspicion of decapitating his friend before setting the body alight. Fire crews were called to a grass fire in Curacavi, Chile, where they uncovered the charred remains of a man on April 12.
Emergency crews discovered a Bible placed next to the victim’s severed head. Investigators believe the victim had been subjected to torture prior to his death. A month into the inquiry, Abel Stiven Carabali, a 30-year-old ex-Colombian footballer, was detained in Santiago.
CCTV footage is reported to show him leaving a car park in the Chilean capital, pushing a trolley. Prosecutors believe his friend’s body was concealed inside it, as reported by NeedToKnow.
Authorities allege that Carabali, assisted by a fellow Colombian working as a taxi driver, loaded the body into a car boot and transported it to Curacavi. Once there, the pair allegedly set the remains ablaze before fleeing the scene.
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Back in Colombia, Carabali had been an amateur footballer with connections to Deportivo Cali, one of the nation’s most decorated clubs. Prosecutors claim that after relocating to Chile, he became involved in a drug trafficking gang, eventually climbing to a position of leadership.
The victim was also Colombian and had a prior history of drug trafficking offences. His identity has not been disclosed. He and Carabali had reportedly been friends for at least eight years through their shared involvement in football, according to prosecutors.
View 4 ImagesThe scene where the victim’s charred remains were found(Image: JamPress)
Prosecutor Carmen Gloria Guevara told local media: “Before the decapitation, he suffered multiple stab wounds that would have been unnecessary if the intention was simply to kill him.
“The way they displayed the body, abandoned it, burned it, dismembered it and left a Bible beside the victim’s head, clearly points to the hallmarks of organised crime.”
View 4 ImagesCarabali leaving a car park with a trolley believed to be containing his friend’s body(Image: JamPress)
Initially, detectives considered a ransom kidnapping as a possible motive, but as enquiries deepened, a revenge attack linked to drug trafficking emerged as the most probable alleged cause.
During raids, officers confiscated drugs and firearms of varying calibres, including a weapon that had been modified to resemble a military rifle.
View 4 ImagesAbel Stiven Carabali is taken into custody(Image: JamPress)
Both Carabali and the taxi driver, aged 51, have been remanded in custody, facing charges of aggravated murder, along with weapons possession and drug trafficking offences.
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Prosecutors have confirmed that two further alleged gang members have been identified but are yet to be apprehended.
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