Investigators are searching for three women after the group allegedly conspired to drug a British tourist to steal tens of thousands of pounds from him during his holiday
This is the shocking moment a British tourist collapsed on a beach in Rio de Janeiro after the victim was drugged by a woman.
The incident was recorded on Rio de Janeiro’s Ipanema beach in the early hours. Video footage showed the victim in a disorientated state as he staggered down the beachfront and then collapsed onto the sand.
Just moments earlier, three women, who are understood to be suspects, were seen running down the street before jumping in a taxi that swiftly left the area. The victim is believed to be a university student who was on holiday with a mate from school when they met the woman and drank with them at a bar. It comes after a man dies and 9 more rushed to hospital after eating sandwich amid urgent recall.
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One of the women who is believed to have given him a caipirinha cocktail before the victim drank it and ended up losing consciousness. When he woke up in the emergency room, he found that more than £16,000 had been swindled from his bank account, reports NewsX.
The two Brits, who were not named, also claimed their iPhones were taken. Police in Brazil have identified the women as Amanda Couto Deloca, 23, Mayara Ketelyn Americo da Silva, 26, and Raiane Campos de Oliveira, 27.
Investigators said the women are sex workers who prey on tourists who visit the city. Campos de Oliveira was previously jailed for six months for the same type of offence and is now understood to have returned to the scheme.
The trio were recognised on videos shared to social media where they were seen with the men before the incident on August 8. Police have located the taxi driver who drove away with the women, although he is not suspected to have been involved in their scheme.
Brazil’s Special Tourism Support Unit has launched an investigation into the case. It has urged visitors to be cautious around strangers and to avoid sharing drinks.
There have been other cases where Brits have taken drugs while abroad with serious consequences. Ryan Long, 18, died after he reportedly took an ecstasy pill on holiday.
Ryan, from Eastwood in Essex, was in Ibiza with four friends on his first-ever lads holiday. But he died earlier this year after he suddenly fell ill while out in UNVRS nightclub.