The images prompted much speculations online. Some suspected foul play, punishment for theft and others feared body parts had been stolen from the corpses, cutting the hands off as means to prevent identification.

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (IC), an authority that investigates serious crimes, said in a post to Telegram:

The biological objects [hands] found are not of a criminal origin but were disposed of in a manner not provided for by law.

It is not known how old the hands might be, but local media reported that medical bandages were found near the remains raising suspicions they were cut off in a medical institution.

The IC wrote:

Based on the [investigation] results, a legal assessment will be made of the actions of officials of the forensic medical institution in the city of Khabarovsk responsible for the disposal of these biological objects.

The investigation is ongoing.

indy100 has contacted the IC for more information.

HT Metro

More: This is Siberia's 'doorway to the underworld' and its growing