In a bizarre and macabre scene, a woman was captured on video wheeling a corpse into a bank in Bangu, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The woman, later identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes, was allegedly attempting to secure a loan in her name with the deceased pensioner’s assistance, despite his evident state of death.
Bank employees, understandably alarmed by the situation, began filming the woman and the deceased man as she held his head upright and urged him to sign a document. In the footage, she can be seen placing a pen between the dead man’s fingers and instructing him to grip it tightly. Despite her efforts, the man remained unresponsive, prompting a bank worker to express concern over his pale appearance.
Undeterred, the woman continued her charade, telling the deceased man, whom she referred to as “Uncle,” that he needed to sign the document. She even offered to take him to the hospital if he was feeling unwell, demonstrating a disturbing detachment from reality.
Paramedics called to the scene confirmed that the deceased pensioner, identified as Paulo Roberto Braga, 68, had passed away several hours earlier. The woman, claiming to be Braga’s niece and caregiver, was promptly arrested by police.
Authorities are investigating the incident and reviewing CCTV footage to determine whether the woman acted alone or had accomplices. There are suspicions of organized fraud, given the nature of the attempted loan application and the woman’s relationship to the deceased.
Police Chief Fabio Luiz confirmed that Mr. Braga was already deceased when he was wheeled into the bank. The investigation is ongoing to establish whether the loan application occurred before or after Braga’s death and to identify any additional family members involved.
Meanwhile, the results of a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of Braga’s death have not yet been disclosed. The attempted loan was reportedly for 17,000 Brazilian Reais, approximately £2,500.
This disturbing incident recalls a similar case in Ireland, where two men were jailed for attempting to use a dead man’s body to deceive a post office and claim his pension. The men, identified as Declan Haughney and Gareth Coakley, were sentenced to prison for their role in the fraudulent scheme, which involved dragging the lifeless body of 66-year-old Peadar Doyle to the post office.
These shocking incidents underscore the lengths to which some individuals will go to commit fraud and deceive authorities for financial gain. The exploitation of the deceased for personal profit is not only morally reprehensible but also criminal, and those responsible must be held accountable for their actions.