British tourist collapsed on a beach after being 'spiked and robbed' on holiday
A young British tourist is lucky to be alive after he was drugged and robbed by three women in a horrific 'good night, Cindarella' scam.
The phrase is Brazilian slang for using drugs to incapacitate someone and then robbing or assaulting them, and in this instance, it caused the young man to drop unconscious on the sands of Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro.
In the early hours of August 8, the 21-year-old victim, clearly disoriented, staggered along the beachfront before collapsing face-first into the sand.
Moments earlier, three women, believed to be the suspects, ran along the street and jumped into a taxi before quickly leaving the area.
The victim had been partying with a British friend when they met the three women at a dance bar and kept drinking together.
At one point, he was given a caipirinha cocktail, and after drinking it, he lost consciousness. When he woke up, his bank account was drained of £16,000.
The two Brits, who declined to give their names, also said their iPhones were stolen by the women.
The suspects were later identified 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 was previously jailed for six months for the same type of offence.
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.
One of the victims said of Rio de Janeiro: 'Maybe I'll go back, but for now, that's enough of Brazil.
'I took two sips and I don't remember much of anything else.'
He's praised the 19-year-old delivery driver who saw the crime unfolding and began filming while calling emergency services.
The Brit added: 'He filmed, called an ambulance, and helped the police track down the suspects. Thank you to him, whoever he is.' More Trending
In another terrifying incident abroad, an 85-year-old British pensioner was dragged to the ground during a mugging in Majorca.
Footage of the incident shows the thief chasing his victim before pouncing.
Police officers were eventually able to identify and locate the thief, who was recognised by the victim.
Son Servera council said in a statement on Friday: 'We strongly condemn the unfortunate events that occurred yesterday morning in the centre of Cala Millor, in which a young man robbed and assaulted an elderly person with the objective of stealing his belongings.'
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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