RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – A woman accused of drugging and robbing two British tourists in a ‘Good Night, Cinderella’ scam has been arrested in Rio de Janeiro, while her two alleged accomplices remain at large.
The victims, two young men from the UK whose names have not been disclosed, fell unconscious after being given spiked caipirinhas at a local bar on August 8. Hours later, one of them was found collapsing on the sand at Ipanema beach — footage of which was captured by a local delivery driver.
The suspects allegedly stole phones and attempted to transfer £20,000 from one victim’s bank account. Authorities confirmed that about £2,000 was withdrawn before the account was frozen, and £18,000 was later recovered.
The three women were identified as:
Amanda Couto Deloca, 23
Mayara Ketelyn Americo da Silva, 26
Raiane Campos de Oliveira, 27
They are facing charges of:
Qualified robbery
Electronic fraud
Criminal association
According to Chief Inspector Patricia Alemany of the Tourist Support Police Station (DEAT), Deloca was arrested on August 18 in Duque de Caxias, a suburb of Rio, after days of surveillance. She reportedly surrendered without resistance, saying, “I give up.”
“We had been monitoring them since the day of the incident,” Alemany said. “This suspect had been hiding in Duque de Caxias and we knew she was on the move.”
Deloca was formally taken into custody following the execution of an arrest warrant authorized by Judge Carlos Eduardo Carvalho de Figueiredo of Rio’s 19th Criminal Court.
The other two suspects, da Silva and de Oliveira, are still on the run. All three have been made formal defendants, and prosecutors are seeking preventive detention due to a risk of reoffending.
Authorities also demand the women pay £4,600 (approximately 30,000 Brazilian reals) in compensation to the British victims.
Police believe the trio are part of a wider gang targeting tourists from the UK, France, the USA, and Argentina in nightlife areas. Their method includes lacing drinks with fast-acting sedatives, causing victims to pass out within 30 minutes before being robbed.
