Goodnight Cinderella scam: Woman accused of drugging and robbing British tourists in Brazil is arrested
One of the three women who are accused of drugging and robbing British students celebrating their graduation in Brazil has been arrested by police while the other two remain on the run.
The two young men from the UK, names not disclosed, fell victims to the so-called 'Good night, Cinderella' scam during a stay in Rio de Janeiro on August 8.
Footage filmed by a local delivery driver showed one of them collapsing in the sand on the iconic Ipanema beach after drinking a spiked cocktail hours earlier.
Meanwhile, a trio of women accused of drugging him were seen getting in a taxi and fleeing the scene after stealing his phone.
Police said the women had attempted to move £20,000 from his account during the robbery, but only about £2,000 was spent before the funds were frozen.
Around £18,000 has since been recovered.
Authorities later ordered an arrest warrant for the suspects, identified as 23-year-old Amanda Couto Deloca, 26-year-old Mayara Ketelyn Americo da Silva, and 27-year-old Raiane Campos de Oliveira, for qualified robbery and criminal association.
Police say the trio are part of a gang that has targeted visitors from the UK, France, the USA, and Argentina in nightlife districts.
The gang’s method involves approaching tourists in bars, offering drinks laced with drugs, and robbing them once they lose consciousness, often within 30 minutes.
Victims have reported waking up hours later in their accommodation to find phones, cash, bank cards, and watches gone, along with large sums transferred from their bank accounts.
The British men from the latest incident told police they met the women in a bar where they were given caipirinhas.
One of them, Deloca, has now been seized by police after they found her hiding in the Duque de Caxias suburb on August 18.
When she was caught, she reportedly surrendered and said: "I give up."
Chief Inspector Patricia Alemany of the Tourist Support Police Station (DEAT) stated: "We had been monitoring them since the day of the incident. This suspect had been hiding in Duque de Caxias and we knew she was on the move.
"Today, after intelligence work and with the support of the 62nd Police Station, she was located and brought to DEAT. Here, with the arrest warrant, she was formally taken into custody."
The other two women remain at large.
Prosecutors have since made all three women formal defendants and requested their preventive detention, citing the risk of reoffending. They are also seeking compensation of £4,600 (30,000 Brazilian reals) for the British victims.
Court documents show the women are facing charges of qualified robbery, theft through electronic fraud, and criminal association. Judge Carlos Eduardo Carvalho de Figueiredo of Rio’s 19th Criminal Court authorised the detention orders on August 18.
Story: NewsX