Rio Police Arrest 22-Year-Old in 'Boa Noite, Cinderela' Scheme Targeting Tourists

Overview

• Civil police from Deat and the 13th Precinct arrested Cláudio Rafael Silva de Queiroz de Pontes on November 7 in Cabo Frio after intelligence-led monitoring.
• He is accused of contacting victims on dating apps, meeting them in bars or on the beach, spiking drinks, then making bank withdrawals and transfers and stealing phones.
• Documented cases include an Italian tourist who lost about €19,000, two Chilean tourists who lost R$15,000, and a Pernambuco visitor who reported losses above R$60,000, with IML tests detecting sedative-type substances in one case.
• Two preventive arrest warrants issued by the 20th Criminal Court were served on the suspect, and investigators cite multiple inquéritos that tie the incidents together, including images of the group mocking a victim in a pub.
• Police report that three alleged accomplices—two men and one woman—remain at large, and search operations continue.