Undercover Operation at Rio Carnival
Brazilian police disguised themselves in fancy dress to blend in with Carnival attendees and target phone thieves in Rio de Janeiro. The officers wore masks representing characters such as Captain America, Batman, and Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th, among others, to apprehend suspects, according to Brazil's Civil Police.
During the operation, a drone spotted a woman stealing a phone from a Carnival participant and handing it to a male accomplice. Both individuals were arrested at the scene.
Details of the Arrest and Operation
The arrests occurred in the Santa Teresa neighbourhood, where five stolen phones were recovered and are set to be returned to their rightful owners, the Civil Police reported. Video footage released by the police showed officers still wearing their masks escorting the two suspects to a waiting police vehicle. Among the disguises used was the red overalls and mask from the Spanish Netflix series Money Heist.
Authorities revealed that the two suspects had a combined total of 30 criminal records. The woman allegedly pretended to be pregnant in an attempt to avoid arrest.
Operation Tracking and Broader Context
The arrests are part of Operation Tracking, a state initiative focused on combating the theft and resale of mobile phones. This program has successfully located over 13,000 stolen devices and facilitated the return of approximately 4,400 phones to their owners.
Use of Costumes by Latin American Police
This is not the first instance of Latin American law enforcement using fancy dress to apprehend suspects. Peruvian police frequently employ this tactic, dressing agents in elaborate costumes during events such as Valentine's Day, Halloween, and Christmas.
For example, in November of the previous year, officers dressed as Spider-Man discovered suspected cocaine concealed in a trick-or-treat bucket. Earlier that year, an agent in a teddy bear costume apprehended a suspected drug dealer during a Valentine's Day operation.
Other raids have featured officers disguised as the Grinch, a capybara, and various Marvel superheroes.
