Seven men have been arrested after reports of castration procedures being broadcast live online.
The men were held in Finsbury Park, north London, in December, when Metropolitan Police officers spent several days searching a home in the area.
Amputations were allegedly carried out in a basement flat and broadcast on a pay-per-view channel that was promoted via a Twitter account, The Sun newspaper reported.
The practise is linked to a subculture where men become "nullos", short for genital nullification.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said:
"Between Tuesday December 7 and Friday December 10 2021, officers from the Met's Central Specialist Crime command conducted a search warrant at a residential address in the Finsbury Park area in connection with an investigation into an allegation of grievous bodily harm.
"A man, aged in his 40s, was arrested in relation to this investigation and is currently on bail.
"Six other suspects were also arrested and released on bail in connection with this matter."
According to The Mail Online, the ringleader calls himself The Eunuch Maker and has had the operation himself.
The other suspects are aged in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.
Background
According to Wikipedia, a 'nullo' or 'smoothie' refers to 'genital nullification' - an extreme form of body modification.
Nullos are most often men, although some women have had their clitorises removed and their labia's sewn up.
The term 'smoothie' is used as the operation leaves the groin area completely smooth.
The reason for the removal of the genitals is generally because the subject wants to live as a eunuch.
Wikipedia names Mao Sugiyama as the most famous nullo.
The artist and asexual activist had his genitals (and later his nipples) removed in 2012, cooked them and served them to paying guests at a banquet.
The Mail Online estimates there are around 10,000 - 15,000 people worldwide who have had the procedure, although it's hard to make a proper estimate as many don't even tell their families that they've had it done.
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