E-Paper
Man drugged by 3 women collapses on beach, loses ₹18 lakh in ‘Good Night, Cinderella’ scam
A British tourist was filmed collapsing face-first on a beach in Brazil after allegedly being drugged and robbed by three women
A British tourist was filmed collapsing face-first on a beach in Brazil after allegedly being drugged and robbed by three women in a so-called “Good Night, Cinderella” scam.
The incident occurred on Rio de Janeiro's popular Ipanema beach in the early hours of August 8, according to a report in Daily Star. CCTV footage shows the victim, a young university student, stumbling along the sand before falling unconscious, while three women — later identified as Amanda Couto Deloca, 23, Mayara Ketelyn Americo da Silva, 26, and Raiane Campos de Oliveira, 27 — were seen fleeing in a taxi.
For some context
The victim was on a holiday in Brazil with a British schoolfriend. The two Britons reportedly met the women at a samba dance before heading to a bar, where they were served caipirinha cocktails.
One of the men said that the women gave him a caipirinha cocktail and he lost consciousness after drinking it. He woke up in hospital to discover that more than £16,000 (INR 18 lakh) had been taken from their bank accounts, along with their iPhones.
What police says
Police say the suspects are sex workers who target tourists. Campos de Oliveira has a prior conviction for the same crime. She and the others were recognised by the victims in social media videos filmed earlier that night.
Investigators from the Special Tourism Support Unit have interviewed the taxi driver who transported the suspects, though he is not accused of wrongdoing. Authorities are warning visitors to be wary of strangers and never leave drinks unattended.
What is the Good Night, Cinderella scam?
The “Good Night, Cinderella” scam — also as Boa Noite Cinderela — is a Brazilian term for crimes involving date-rape drugs secretly dissolved in a victim’s drink. These sedatives, such as GHB, Rohypnol or scopolamine, act quickly to cause drowsiness, confusion, memory loss and loss of motor control, leaving the victim unable to protect themselves.
