Two British engineering students have spoken out after being drugged and robbed on Rio de Janeiro's Ipanema beach. The 21-year-old victim, who collapsed on the sand, said he and a friend were offered spiked cocktails. 'I took one, two sips and then nothing,' he told Brazilian media.
The pair, who were in Brazil for 10 days to celebrate a graduation, met three women at a bar in the Lapa neighbourhood. They agreed to take a taxi with the women, who allegedly offered them Caipirinhas laced with sedatives at a beach bar in the early hours of last Thursday.
The suspects were filmed leaving in another taxi, reportedly with the victim's mobile phone. They used the phone to steal an estimated £2,000. The victim initially reported a loss of £15,000, but police now estimate the loss at £2,000. His bank is expected to reimburse him.
Amanda Couto Deloca, 23, Mayara Katelyn Americo da Silva, 26, and Raiane Campos de Oliveira, 27, have been arrested on suspicion of involvement. Police are investigating possible accomplices and awaiting toxicology results to identify the drug used.
A teenage deliveryman who filmed the collapse and called an ambulance has been credited with helping police catch the suspects. The British pair thanked him in a video interview. The Good Samaritan said the victim was 'unresponsive' and 'drooling' with his face in the sand.
The victim said of Brazil: 'Maybe I'll come back one day, but for now I think it's enough of this country.' Criminal law professor Ronny Nunes noted that convicting such thieves is difficult because foreign victims often leave the country before court proceedings.
