Argentina: Case of the Severed Hands

They had to pick the twelve triple-combination locks that secured the coffin, but somehow the grave robbers at Buenos Aires' Chacarita Cemetery managed the task. Their take: a ceremonial saber and the hands of Juan Peron, who was perhaps Argentina's most revered President. After the break-in was discovered two weeks ago on the 13th anniversary of Peron's death, a group called "Hermes IAI and the 13" claimed responsibility for the theft and demanded $8 million in return for the severed parts. If the ransom was not met by this week, the group threatened, Peron's hands would be pulverized.

The case of...

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