Brazil: British tourists who were drugged and robbed in Rio thank delivery driver who rescued them - three women are arrested

The two friends, who were interviewed on TV but did not give their names, had travelled to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to celebrate their graduation. They had been in the popular tourist city for 10 days before meeting three women during a night out.

They told local media that after the video went viral around the world, they had been contacted by worried relatives and, with the suspects now identified by police, they are preparing to return to the UK. The women were seen running off and jumping in a taxi.

One of the victims, who was filmed as he collapsed in the sand, described the trip before the robbery as "a beautiful 10 days" in which they had visited Christ the Redeemer and Ipanema Beach.

The victim, a young university student, was holidaying with a British pal from school when they met the women at a samba dance and later continued drinking at a local bar.

One of them said the women gave him a caipirinha cocktail and that after drinking it he lost consciousness. By the time he woke up in the emergency room, more than £16,000 had been taken from his bank accounts. The two Brits, who have not been named, also said their iPhones were stolen by the women.

Police later identified the suspects as Amanda Couto Deloca, 23, Mayara Ketelyn Americo da Silva, 26, and Raiane Campos de Oliveira, 27. According to investigators, the women are sex workers who target tourists in the city. One of them, Campos de Oliveira, was previously jailed for six months for the same type of offence but is now suspected of returning to the scheme.

The 21-year-old man said: "Maybe I'll go back… but for now, that’s enough of Brazil."

Speaking about the incident, he recalled: "I took two sips and I don't remember much of anything else."

He praised the 19-year-old delivery driver who filmed the scene and called emergency services.

He said: "I would like to thank him, whoever he is. He filmed, called an ambulance, and helped the police track down the suspects. Thank you to him, whoever he is."

The delivery driver said he had been told by a bystander that "these women just drugged him, they're taking his things."

He confronted the women, saw them flee in a taxi, and when he returned 10 minutes later, he found the tourist still unresponsive, drooling, and face-down in the sand.

He then called for help, which police say may have prevented more serious medical consequences.

The victim added: "I tried to fight the drug. By the time I got to the beach I was completely out of it."

His companion, who was also targeted, realised something was wrong and threw his phone into the sand to stop it from being stolen right before he passed out as well.

Police said around £20,000 was moved from one victim’s investment account to his current account during the robbery, but only about £2,000 was spent before the funds were frozen. Around £18,000 has since been recovered.

The suspects are still being sought. Officers believe they were in contact by phone with another person during the incident and are working to identify them.

Officers have also located the taxi driver who drove the women away from the scene. He is not suspected of involvement.

The case is being investigated by the Special Tourism Support Unit, which has urged visitors to be cautious when socialising with strangers and to avoid sharing drinks.

Story: NewsX