A GANG who filmed themselves dismembering a woman's body before stuffing it into a suitcase were caught after a JCB dug up her remains and cops saw a copy of the vile video.

Gabriela Lima Santana, 21, was brutally butchered in a bathroom on camera to fit into the small case, in a suspected retaliation against a rival gang, local media reports.

The tragic young woman was reported missing on March 13 – the day before her birthday – but is believed to have disappeared much earlier.

Her body was disposed of in a drainage ditch on March 24, before it was found by city council workers operating a mechanical digger to remove rubbish from the gully in Capao da Canoa, southern Brazil.

One of Gabriela's arms allegedly flung out as the JCB attempted to remove the luggage in front of terrified employees, before it eerily landed in the water and floated on the surface in the city of Canoas.

The victim's hacked-up head, torso, legs, and arms were also recovered from the suitcase by forensics experts, according to the news site Caboco.

Two kitchen knives and saws, believed to be the tools used to mutilate the 21-year-old, were also found inside the baggage, police said.

The suitcase also included stones, the Hora da Noticicia reported, in an attempt to make it sink.

Gabriela was identified by her distinctive tattoos – one allegedly associated with a local gang – and her fingerprints, Caboco reported.

The gruesome discovery then led detectives in the homicide division to a new line of inquiry regarding a shocking video they had received on March 1, showing a woman's body being dismembered in a bathroom.

Disturbing footage allegedly shows a smiling assassin mutilating a woman's corpse while a number of bin bags are strewn across the floor, which seemingly contains pieces of Gabriela's body parts.

It is not known who filmed the video and how it was obtained by the police.

While trying to determine its authenticity, the investigation led officers to an apartment in the neighbourhood of Rio Branco, where one suspect was arrested.

Police believe the murder occurred at the property too, which reportedly had ties to local criminal gangs.

A 49-year-old man, reportedly identified from the footage, and a 23-year-old, who allegedly recorded the clip, have been arrested.

Cops are continuing to search for two further suspects.

The investigation remains ongoing.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.

HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:

Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:

• Always keep your phone nearby.
• Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
• If you are in danger, call 999.
• Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
• Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
• If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
• Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.

If you are a ­victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support ­service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].

Women’s Aid provides a live chat service available. from 10am to noon.

You can also call the freephone 24-hour ­National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.

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