Police arrest 7 people in SP in Deu Match vs love scam operation

Paulo Eduardo Diaz
Sao Paulo-SP

An operation by the anti-kidnapping unit of the Sao Paulo Civil Police has arrested seven people suspected of belonging to a gang running dating app scams in the northern part of Sao Paulo.

Among those arrested is a 26-year-old woman, who is said to be one of the leaders of the group. Investigations revealed that he maintains more than 20 profiles on dating apps.

According to the investigation, he was on a lavish trip with trips to Cancun and Dubai and dinners at sophisticated restaurants. This was financed with money obtained from the victims of the coup. He had been under investigation since late 2022, according to Fabio Nelson, deputy director of the Kidnapping Unit.

“The organization has a number of activities. The woman lures the victim through a fake profile. This victim will encounter violent, armed criminals who will run him off and take him to another location. It has a certain pyramidal and organizational structure with division of tasks. There is another group that will deal with financial transactions,” explained the delegate. The group is suspected of extortion through kidnapping.

The young woman was arrested with her boyfriend, a 19-year-old man, this Thursday (9) in Jaragua, north of Sao Paulo. 900 US dollars were found in his possession.

Apart from the two, four other people were arrested and one was arrested during the operation, which is called Deu Match 2.

A drone and a helicopter were used during the searches to execute temporary arrest warrants.
According to the Civil Police, the woman’s ex-boyfriend is also among those arrested. The 27-year-old is suspected of leading a criminal organization responsible for several kidnappings in the northern zone.

Fabio Nelson said that the suspects denied their involvement in the crimes. The names of the lawyers of the arrested are not disclosed.

This year alone, at least two kidnapped people have been killed north of Sao Paulo: a lawyer and a Brazilian dentist who worked in Portugal.

During the police search, 35 bricks of marijuana were found. A fake gun was also found.