Law students arrested in Brazil over fraud allegation

Two law students have been arrested in Brazil after allegedly trying to defraud an insurance company by claiming they had been robbed.

Shanti Simone Andrews and Rebecca Claire Turner, believed to be studying at Sussex University, allegedly told police their belongings had been taken on a bus from the tourist resort of Foz do Iguacu to the capital Rio.

But it is claimed officers found their suitcases in lockers under their beds.

They have spent three nights in a women’s jail on the outskirts of Rio and face up to five years in prison if convicted of fraud.
The pair, both 23, are thought to have told police that around £1,000 worth of valuables were stolen.

Sergio Ricardo da Rocha Pita, who is acting for the pair, put the girls’ arrests down to a misunderstanding.

He told a Brazilian newspaper the pair had been robbed but had mistaken some of the items the women claimed were taken.

A source close to the students said: “A conviction could ruin their chances of becoming lawyers. They are terrified to put things mildly.”

A receptionist at the Stone Of A Beach backpackers’ hostel where the pair stayed before they were taken into custody, said: “They went to police on Sunday to say they had been robbed three days earlier on a coach from Foz do Iguacu to Rio.

“The police immediately doubted their story because of the length of time they had taken to report the crime.

“They brought the girls back here and asked to be let into their room. Each dormitory has a name tag on the bed and lockers underneath.

“The police opened up the lockers belonging to the girls and found their suitcases with their belongings inside. As far as I know they’re still in prison.”

The crime of fraud in Brazil carries a prison sentence of between one and five years. The women were due to return to Britain on Monday but had to cancel their flight and spend the day explaining themselves to a lawyer.

“We are currently seeking their release on bail,” the lawyer added.