An influencer has been arrested for staging her own kidnapping in a twisted attempt to increase her follower count. Monniky Fraga, a 27-year-old influencer mom from Brazil, was arrested by the police on Tuesday — nearly one year after she told her followers that she and her husband had been taken hostage by bandits.
Even her husband, who was taken hostage, did not know that the whole thing was staged, New York Post reported.
Here’s what happened
In April last year, Fraga posted a teary-eyed video where she told her social media followers that she and her husband Lucas were ambushed outside their home in Igarassu, Brazil.
Fraga claimed that three armed men dragged them into a wooded area and held them hostage for hours, only releasing them after a ransom was paid. She claimed that the men demanded R$100,000 in ransom and a part of it was paid.
(Also read: How Indian influencer with 1.3 millon followers evaded arrest for 10 months in honeytrapping case)
“I spent hours in the woods. I didn’t know if I’d make it back,” she said tearfully.
{{/usCountry}}“I spent hours in the woods. I didn’t know if I’d make it back,” she said tearfully.
{{/usCountry}}“There was a river there, and the whole time I thought they were going to kill me and throw me in here, and I’d never see anyone again. All I could think about was my children.
“They beat up Lucas. They were after some gold chains I had posted about…” she added.
A staged kidnapping
Police have now arrested Fraga, saying she staged the kidnapping for clout.
According to The Sun, Detective Cley Anderson said: “As the investigation progressed, it found indications that the alleged kidnap-for-ransom was in fact nothing more than a plot between the supposed victim and one of the perpetrators.”
“The investigation suggests she not only knew about it, but agreed things in advance and stayed in contact with one of those involved afterwards,” Anderson said.
It is believed that at least three people were involved in the stunt. Fraga was in contact with at least one of them.
Police believe that Lucas, who was assaulted and robbed, genuinely did not know his wife had plotted the whole incident. He has maintained his innocence.
Anderson said: “At all times, he has maintained that he genuinely believed it was a real kidnapping.”
One of Fraga’s suspected accomplices is already in jail for an unrelated crime, another is dead. The third, who was accused of receiving ransom money, had his property searched.
Fraga has maintained her innocence and is fighting for release from police custody, claiming she has young children to look after.