Autopsies conducted on corpses found in mass graves linked to a religious cult in Kenya have revealed missing organs, raising concerns of forced organ harvesting, according to the police.

Investigators are set to carry out a new round of exhumations following the discovery of more than 100 corpses in mass graves near the Indian Ocean coastal town of Malindi in April.

The development has shocked the deeply religious Christian-majority country, with the case dubbed the “Shakahola forest massacre” by the media.

ALSO READ: Death toll in Kenyan cult case rises to 90 as authorities expand operation

The police believe that the majority of the bodies belong to followers of a self-styled pastor, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, who has been accused of ordering his followers to starve to death “to meet Jesus”.

However, it is now apparent that starvation was not the main cause of death, with chief government pathologist, Johansen Oduor, reporting that some victims, including children, were strangled, beaten or suffocated.

Court documents filed on Monday claimed that some of the corpses had had their organs removed, with police alleging forced organ harvesting.

In an affidavit filed to a Nairobi court, Chief Inspector Martin Munene claimed that “post-mortem reports have established missing organs in some of the bodies of victims who have been exhumed”.

He added that “it is believed that trade on human body organs has been well-coordinated involving several players”, although he provided no further details.

Munene also claimed that a high-profile televangelist, Ezekiel Odero, had received “huge cash transactions” from Mackenzie’s followers who sold their property at the cult leader’s behest.

ALSO READ: Kenya receives first batch of evacuees from Sudan

The Nairobi court has ordered the authorities to freeze more than 20 bank accounts belonging to Odero for 30 days.

So far, 112 people have been confirmed dead, according to the Kenyan Interior Minister, Kithure Kindiki, who arrived in Malindi on Tuesday to supervise resumed exhumations.

Meanwhile, questions have been raised about how Mackenzie managed to evade law enforcement despite a history of extremism and previous legal cases against him.