COPS are still hunting for the head of a decapitated man mysteriously found dumped in the middle of the street in central Lisbon.
The corpse was found on Patio Salema, a narrow, dead-end street in the historic centre of the popular British holiday destination.
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The street is behind the Lisbon Coliseum and just a stone’s throw from many of the city’s main tourist sites and picturesque squares.
Shockingly, a police source said the man’s head was “not at the scene” and they are still trying to find it.
The body has now reportedly been identified as belonging to an undocumented African man.
But the circumstances behind his decapitation are still a mystery to cops.
A new theory has emerged as to what may have happened to the man following the gruesome find.
Portuguese Judicial Police (PJ) took over the investigation and is now looking into the possibility of a crime linked to drug trafficking and territorial disputes, Correio reports.
Authorities were alerted early on Wednesday, after which they rushed to the scene and cordoned off the street to investigate.
The narrow alleyway leads down to Rossio, one of the main squares for tourists and locals alike.
Gustavo Silva, a commentator for CNN Portugal, said that this type of crime “occurs in a very specific context”.
He issued a warning to the public: “It’s macabre and heinous, but people should remain calm.”
Criminal psychology expert Carlos Alberto Poiares told Sic Noticias: “One thing is clear: the crime wasn’t committed there; the body was dumped there.
“If he had been decapitated there, the scenario would certainly have been different.”
Bizarrely, just hours earlier, the body of a woman was found in the boot of a car nearby.
The woman in her 50s was discovered in Costa da Caparica on the outskirts of the capital.
The body was found when passersby on the beach noticed a strong smell coming from the car.
It is believed the woman was getting changed in the boot of the car which had no backseats while she suffered a heart attack.
Her belongings were found in the car, suggesting she may have been living inside it.
Lisbon is known as one of the safest European capitals with a very low crime rate.
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