A British university student collapsed unconscious on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro after three women allegedly drugged him with a laced cocktail and robbed him of approximately £16,000 in what Brazilian authorities describe as a “Goodnight Cinderella” scam.
The incident occurred in the early hours of August 8, 2025, when the 21-year-old engineering student and his British companion were celebrating their graduation during a 10-day holiday in Brazil. Shocking footage captured the victim staggering along the beachfront before collapsing face-first into the sand, while three women were seen fleeing the scene in a taxi.
The victim told local media that after taking “two sips and then nothing” of a caipirinha cocktail offered by the women, he lost consciousness completely. He described attempting to fight the drug’s effects, stating he tried to resist but was completely incapacitated by the time he reached the beach.
The two British students had met the three women at a samba dance in the Rio neighborhood of Lapa before continuing to a local bar. The victim’s companion, realizing something was wrong, threw his mobile phone into the sand in an attempt to prevent the women from accessing his banking applications before he also lost consciousness.
When the primary victim regained consciousness in the emergency room, more than £16,000 had been transferred from his investment account to his current account, with approximately £2,000 spent before authorities froze the funds. Police later recovered around £18,000 of the stolen money. Both students also had their iPhones stolen during the incident.
Authorities identified the suspects as Amanda Couto Deloca, 23, Mayara Ketelyn Americo da Silva, 26, and Raiane Campos de Oliveira, 27. According to investigators, the women are sex workers who specifically target tourists in the city. Campos de Oliveira had previously served six months in prison for similar offenses and had been arrested 20 times for comparable crimes.
The rescue was aided by a 19-year-old delivery driver who witnessed the crime unfolding. The Good Samaritan filmed the incident, called emergency services, and helped police track down the suspects. He found the tourist unresponsive and drooling with his face in the sand when he returned to the scene 10 minutes after the women had fled.
Police Chief Patricia Alemany indicated that investigators are awaiting toxicology test results to determine the exact substance used to spike the drinks. The investigation suggests the women may have had accomplices, and officers have requested CCTV footage from the surrounding area to identify additional suspects.
The taxi driver who transported the women from the scene has been questioned by police but is not considered a suspect. Officers believe the women were in phone contact with another person during the incident and are working to identify this individual.
The “Goodnight Cinderella” scam has become increasingly common in Brazil, where criminals use substances like Rohypnol or GHB to incapacitate tourists before robbing them. Earlier this month, another escort was arrested for using similar tactics to drug and rob a French tourist of £13,000.
Criminal law professor Ronny Nunes explained the difficulties in prosecuting such cases, noting that foreign tourists often file initial police reports but are unavailable when court proceedings begin. Without victim testimony in court to ratify their original statements, convictions become extremely difficult to secure.
The case is being investigated by the Special Tourism Support Unit, which has issued warnings urging visitors to exercise caution when socializing with strangers and to avoid sharing drinks with unknown individuals.
The British victims expressed gratitude to the delivery driver who assisted them, with one stating he hoped to thank the young man personally. Following their traumatic experience, both students indicated they were preparing to return to the United Kingdom, with one noting he might return to Brazil in the future but felt he had experienced enough of the country for now.
The incident highlights the ongoing threat posed by drink-spiking scams targeting international visitors in popular Brazilian tourist destinations, particularly in Rio de Janeiro where such crimes have been reported with increasing frequency.