Tubarão man sentenced for extortion via fake kidnapping

A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to six years and two months in a semi-open prison regime for extortion in Tubarão, Santa Catarina. The crime occurred in April 2024, when an elderly woman was coerced into handing over two firearms after receiving a phone call from individuals claiming to have kidnapped her children.

The victim was subjected to death threats and threats of sexual violence, leading her to deliver a shotgun and a revolver, valued at R$ 6.8 thousand, to a designated location. The defendant acted as the collector, arriving at the scene with his face covered to retrieve the weapons before fleeing in a vehicle.

Although the accused denied involvement, investigators identified him through security camera footage that captured a distinctive tattoo on his arm. Additionally, police recovered the vehicle used in the crime and found incriminating conversations on seized mobile phones regarding the specific models of the stolen weapons and the defendant's proximity to the crime scene.