Octopus ceviche photo led killers to restaurant where influencer was shot
Police believe a beauty queen with over a million followers was tracked by her killers after she shared a snap of a unique dish online.
An Ecuadorean beauty queen gunned down in a restaurant was tracked there by a food photo she shared after ordering a distinctive plate of octopus ceviche, according to police.
Shocking surveillance footage shows Landy Párraga, 23, being shot to death by two masked men who walked up to her at the eatery in Quevedo on Sunday.
It has since emerged that just before her death, Ms Párraga shared a photo to her 173,000 followers on Instagram which police suspect tipped off her killers to her whereabouts, according to the Telegraph.
Her food snap showed the distinctive-looking seafood dish and a side of eggs with a restaurant logo on either a placemat or menu on the table.
Soon after posting the pic, Ms Párraga was seen chatting with a man inside the restaurant when she noticed two masked men enter the building.
One of the gunmen runs towards her and fires his gun, striking both Ms Párraga and the man she was talking to, as the second gunman stands guard by the door.
Both attackers then fled the restaurant, leaving the beauty queen motionless on the floor and in a pool of blood.
She was reportedly shot three times and died shortly after, The New York Post reports.
Police are investigating the shooting amid speculation the hit was ordered by the widow of drug trafficker Leandro Norero, with whom Ms Párraga is believed to have had an affair.
Ms Párraga, who has more than a million followers on her social media accounts as well as her own sportswear line, made headlines in December when she was named in a chat between the slain drug lord and his accountant, Helive Ángulo, according to Ecuavisa.
“If my wife comes across anything about her, I’m screwed,” Norero had said of Ms Párraga to Ángulo.
He reportedly added: “My friend, her name cannot come out anywhere. Otherwise, my world will come crashing down.”
Investigators also found photos of Ms Párraga and evidence of the lavish gifts he gave her, including apartments and cars, on Norero’s phone, according to the reports.
The gangster would go on to be killed in prison just six months into his incarceration.
Ángulo is one of 50 people being prosecuted as a result of the investigation into a criminal network that has allegedly corrupted Ecuadorean state officials, known as Operation Metastasis.
While Párraga’s finances were under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office, she was never prosecuted for a crime and had never made any public comments on the case or her connection with Norero and his organisation, the reports said.
Authorities have recovered Párraga’s body and are currently investigating the murder.
This article originally appeared on The New York Post and was reproduced with permission
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