February 23, 2022

14:02

Bruno Pacheco – from Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – The Indonesian fashion designer Arnold Putra, suspected of ordering human organs from Manaus to Singapore, in Asia, has been on a tour to indigenous villages of the Yagua ethnicity, near Vale do Javari, a region in the far west of the interior of Amazonas.

Furthermore, internauts even shared images in which the stylist appears to be presenting the indigenous people with designer products. The suspicion is that Putra exchanged the gifts for human remains and valuable items of their culture. In one of Putra’s publications, the Indonesian even writes about the price of the watch he gave to one of the chiefs of a village.

“I exchanged local gifts with the chief of the Yagua indigenous tribe of the Amazon Rainforest, valued at US$3.5 million on his wrist”, the fashion designer wrote in one of the publications. After the repercussion of the case, Putra deactivated the public function of Instagram and limited the viewing of the posts only to friends.

Life of Luxury

Arnold leads a luxurious life on social media. On Instagram, he has more than 65,000 followers and is famous for attending fashion events with self-made items and collecting expensive cars. Among the items made by the man is a bag made from alligator tongues and a child’s spine, according to Ukrainian website The Sun.

On social networks, Arnold Putra is also known as the “Rich Kid of Instagram. The nickname comes amid photographs of the man next to luxury vehicles and inside private jets that he uses to travel. According to The Sun, the designer is said to have one of the largest car collections in Indonesia.

‘Nothing suspicious’

“He has always been a very available teacher. I never saw/heard anything suspicious about him”. The report is from a medical student at the Amazonas State University (UEA), who preferred not to be identified for fear of reprisals, about the teacher Helder Bindá Pimenta. The young woman is a former student of the educator, target of ‘Operation Plastina’, launched by the Federal Police of Amazonas (PF-AM), where Helder is investigated for international trafficking of human organs.

According to the young woman, a former student of the Anatomy teacher, Helder had a good relationship with the students and treated everyone with respect. The educator was removed on Tuesday, 22, for 30 days from UEA, where he held the position of coordinator of the Human Anatomy Laboratory.

“I always had a teacher-student relationship, within limits, with respect. He had a good relationship with the students. We were surprised [with the PF operation]. Everyone was. Nobody expected it. He was always studious, well respected. The feeling that remains is of sadness, because it doesn’t match my experience in college”, lamented the student.

Initial Phase

The PF-AM operation carried out a search and seizure warrant at the suspect’s house and at the university’s anatomy lab. A computer and anatomical parts treated by plastination were seized. According to the investigations, there are indications that a hand and three placentas of human origin were sent from Manaus to Singapore, Asia. The recipient was the famous Indonesian designer Arnold Putra.

In a note, the technical defense of the teacher said on Tuesday, 22, that he will contribute to the investigations of the Federal Police, but clarified that the educator is only investigated in an initial phase process, with no conviction.

“The same is away from his duties to better ascertain the facts, and will contribute to the investigation, being available to the authorities to provide any clarification. Thus, we refute any anticipated value judgment and repudiate any type of offense, slander, and untruths that may damage his reputation”, says the text, signed by attorney Greysa Moraes Fragoso.

Helder

UEA professor since 2014, Helder Pimenta is graduated in Physical Therapy, specializing in Intensive Care Unit and Medical Education, master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences and doctoral student in Morphofunctional Sciences at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC).

Pimenta is also an effective member of the Brazilian Society of Anatomy, a regular member of the International Society for Plastination (ISP) and a member of the American Association of Anatomists.”

In 2019, the professor was among the top ten at the Experimental Biology Congress, in Orlando, United States, with his doctoral study, entitled “Evaluation Of The Effect Of Angico Polysaccharid Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) In Experimental Model Of Intestinal Mucositis Induced By 5-Fluorouracil In Mice”.