In a bizarre incident reminiscent of a movie plot, a woman in Rio de Janeiro was arrested after she tried to use the corpse of an elderly man to co-sign a $3,400 loan at a bank.
The suspect, Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes, 42, was caught on camera in a shocking attempt to pass off the deceased, seated in a wheelchair beside her, as alive and consenting, the New York Post reported.
The unsettling event unfolded Tuesday when Ms. Nunes entered a bank with the body of Paulo Roberto Braga, 68, whom she claimed was her uncle. Surveillance footage released by TV Globo, Brazil’s leading broadcaster, shows Ms. Nunes trying to manipulate Mr. Braga‘s head, making it appear as though he was looking at the documents she was asking him to sign.
“Uncle, are you listening? You need to sign. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, because I can’t sign for you,” Ms. Nunes says in the video. “Sign so you don’t give me any more headaches. I can’t take it anymore.”
A bank employee says the man does not “look well.” Ms. Nunes replies, “He is like that. He doesn’t say anything. Uncle, do you want to go to the [hospital] again?”
Bank employees, disturbed by the scene, promptly notified the authorities, leading to Ms. Nunes‘ arrest on the premises. Police investigations revealed that Mr. Braga died several hours before his arrival at the bank with Ms. Nunes.
“She tried to pretend to get him to sign the loan. He already entered the bank dead,” Police Chief Fabio Luiz told TV Globo. “The main thing is to continue the investigation to identify other family members, and find out more about this loan.”
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