Brazilian police have been dressed up in carnival costumes to blend in with the crowd and catch phone thieves during Rio de Janeiro's Carnival. According to the Civil Police, undercover officers wore masks of characters including Captain America, Batman and Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movie, as well as a costume from the Spanish Netflix series Money Heist. They arrested two people after a drone filmed a woman stealing a carnival attendee's phone and handing it over to her suspected accomplice.
The incident occurred during the festival, which began on Friday and runs until next Saturday, attracting millions of visitors each year. Authorities said that during this period, petty thefts often increase. During the operation in the Santa Teresa neighborhood, police recovered five stolen phones, which will be returned to their owners. In the released footage, officers - still in disguise - escort the suspects to a police car.
According to authorities, the two arrested have a combined 30 criminal records, while the woman is suspected of faking pregnancy to avoid arrest. The arrests are part of Operation Tracking, a state initiative against the theft and resale of mobile phones, through which over 13,000 devices have been located and around 4,400 have been returned to their owners.
It's not the first time that police in Latin America have used costumes for such operations. In Peru, officers often disguise themselves during holidays such as Valentine's Day, Halloween or Christmas. In November last year, an officer dressed as Spider-Man discovered suspected cocaine in a trick-or-treat bucket, while earlier an agent disguised as a teddy bear arrested a suspected drug dealer. Similar operations have also been carried out with costumes such as the Grinch, capybara or various superheroes.
