Snatch and Grab: Astonishing footage shows how brazen Rio thieves target unsuspecting tourists in broad daylight
New Delhi/ Nagpur: South America it seems is not safe when it comes to petty thefts including Purse-snatching, mobiles, laptops, cameras etc. Incidents of theft and pickpocketing are rampant in places where tourists gather. All the sports aficionados seem to be targeted by these goons. Americans and Europeans seem to be targeted more. Americans have all the good stuff in their bags and wallets. These sports aficionados are loaded with valuables and walk around carelessly in a new place.
These brazen thieves have no fear as they snatch bags and phones from pedestrians wandering through the streets of the Olympic city. Unapologetically, a grown woman strides towards a pedestrian and flings her arm out in an attempt to steal her bag. In another instance, a young boy hangs behind a man holding cash in his hand. Without one swift move, he grabs the cash and makes a run for it. Any opportunity, any victim, sometimes in groups or sometimes solo, these criminals will do just about anything to make their steal.
This is how petty thieves in Rio de Janeiro make their living. Day by day, innocent victim after innocent victim gets robbed. Handbag by handbag, cash is ripe for the steal.
Footage posted to Facebook has shown just how brazen Rio de Janeiro’s thieves really are, and with the Olympics in full swing, robbery is in peak season. Here’s how they seem to do it; they get rather close to their target, swarming around their victim until an opportune moment, when with a simple swipe, they’ve got their goods. They make no eye contact, sometimes they ride bikes, sometimes they run, and at times they even attack. Earphones, cash, handbags, backpacks, I-Phones and jewellery anything that’s not protected is fair game for these goons.
