South American police turn to cosplay for creative crime busts
Officers in São Paulo wore Mario and Luigi costumes to arrest a suspected thief during Carnival.
A separate group of police dressed as Power Rangers to catch a phone thief at the same event.
In Peru, an officer in a capybara costume arrested a suspected drug dealer and seized large drug shipments.
Authorities in South America have resorted to interesting ways to nab criminal suspects.
Different videos have surfaced on social media showing officers ditching their traditional uniforms and badges and wearing costumes to arrest suspected criminals.
Earlier this month, at a carnival in São Paulo, Brazil, local officers dressed up as the world's most famous plumbing brothers, Mario and Luigi, to take down a suspected thief.
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São Paulo Governor Tarcisio Gomes de Freita released a video showing the mustachioed brothers, along with Yoshi the dinosaur, arresting the suspect.
According to the city's Secretariat of Public Security, the disguises were part of an anti-theft strategy by police during the carnival season.
A few days before and at the same carnival, a group of police officers in São Paulo wore full Power Rangers gear arrested a suspected phone thief.
The governor also released the footage.
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"It's morphing time," he wrote, referencing the iconic 90s TV show. "Our heroes noticed the suspicious behavior of a duo inside the block and with an approach that no ranger would find fault with, they arrested the criminal and recovered seven cell phones."
An officer in Peru used a capybara costume to bust a suspected drug dealer red-handed on Valentine's Day.
It was part of the anti-drug trafficking operation's "camouflage strategy."
Dig deeper
The National Police released video that showed the costumed officer holding a gift outside the suspected drug dealer's home in Lurin.
The officer then charged into the home when the door opened and took down the man before arresting him.
Authorities said they found 1,700 packages of cocaine and marijuana during the raid.
The officer then posed with the outfit alongside the suspect and the drugs.
The Source
Storyful contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from various social media videos and official releases from local authorities in São Paulo, Brazil, and Peru. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
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