Armed robbers broke into the home of Brazilian influencer Bruna Biancardi, the girlfriend of soccer star Neymar, and took her parents hostage early Tuesday morning during what is being investigated as a possible kidnapping attempt.
The home is located in a gated community in Cotia, a city in Sao Paulo's metropolitan area.
Biancardi, 29, and the couple's 1-month-old daughter were not home at the time and authorities believe they were the intended targets, according to Cotia police.
News outlet R7 reported that robbers had insistently asked the whereabouts of Biancardi and her baby girl during the invasion.
Biancardi's parents were bound and gagged, and one of the robbers reportedly threatened to pour hot oil over her mother's face. The suspects stole luxury purses, watches and jewelry valued at over $100,000.
Biancardi's parents, ages 50 and 52, were not injured in the attack.
Security camera footage shared by Brazil's Municipal Civil Guard shows three suspects arriving at the house in a car. The car was registered to a neighbor, who told authorities he loaned it to his stepson. Police apprehended the 19-year-old and he confessed to the robbery, said Sheriff's Deputy Mônica Resende Gamboa.
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The teen, who has not been identified, told investigators that he and the other assailants monitored the influencer's social media and were aware that she had recently received jewelry, according to her public posts, Gamboa said. They then decided to rob the house, the suspect said.
São Paulo's Department of Public Safety said in a statement that a second suspect has been identified and efforts are underway to identify the third robber, and arrest both. Brazil's civil police is investigating whether the suspects were also planning to kidnap Biancardi and the newborn.
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“Material things are recovered, the important thing is that everyone is OK and that the people involved are being found,” Biancardi wrote on her Instagram Stories.
Neymar also lamented the attack on his Instagram account, without providing any details.
