A 19-year-old who went for a job interview ended up being arrested in a police raid on offices allegedly being used for a scam.
Unlucky teenager Livia Ramos de Souza was among several seized in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 5th June.
Her family says she had gone to the offices of the company Icon Investimentos for a job interview.
While she was there, the police raided the offices, accusing the company of running a scam that included selling non-existent cars.
Livia was allegedly participating in a training session when she was arrested along with 17 others, aged between 18 and 30, on suspicion of financial fraud.
Caretaker Cristiane Pinto Ramos, 51, says she has not been able to contact her daughter since the day of her arrest.
According to Cristiane, Livia had just completed a youth apprenticeship and was looking for full-time work.
The job at Icon Investimentos would have involved her selling consortiums and receiving a commission on her sales, according to the job description.
Cristiane told local media: “She saw the job opening on the internet, on the Infojobs website. When she arrived there, they immediately had her start computer training.
“She didn’t sign anything, didn’t make any sales, and no money was deposited into her account. She was just training.
“I was at work, and at around 8pm she called me in a distraught state, saying that she had been arrested.”
Livia reportedly arrived at the company’s offices around 10am. According to her mother, the police arrived and arrested everyone at 2pm.
When she called her mother hours later, she asked her to come to the 58th Police Precinct to get her out.
Her mother went to the police station but was unable to secure Livia’s release. The two have not been able to speak since.
Cristiane said: “When I saw that nothing was happening, that the habeas corpus was denied, and she didn’t get released at the custody hearing, I quickly hired a private lawyer to handle Livia’s case.
“Her situation is different, it was her first day on the job, she didn’t know anything about this company. The judge won’t release her, nobody understands.”
The families of the other young people arrested in the raid are also protesting their relatives’ innocence, claiming they had been unaware they were involved in a scam.
The dad of 18-year-old Kyara Rabelo says his daughter had been working at the firm for less than a month.
Ubirajara Tavares told local media: “It’s too easy to arrest first and investigate later. That’s my indignation. I haven’t been able to sleep for a week, it’s just anguish.
“I raised my daughter at home, she wasn’t a street kid. I always gave her an education, she didn’t have any malice.
“I know how my daughter is, she’s very innocent. It’s really tough. I can’t express it.”
According to the Civil Police, computers, mobile phones, and documents, including contracts in the victims’ names and a script “used for the practice of fraud”, were also seized in the raid.
According to lead investigator Jose Mario Salomao Omena, more than a thousand people have fallen victim to the company, whose estimated earnings exceed BRL 3 million (GBP 488,800).
Omena told local media: “We found a person negotiating a non-existent car, and we discovered the scheme in operation.
“No cars were ever delivered. Illicit enrichment. Previously, they operated at another address, under a different name.”
Mum Cristiane said of Livia: “She is a studious girl, finished her studies at the age of 17. Completed an administrative course in two years.
“Studious, hardworking, affectionate. Very family-oriented, calm, polite, and homely. A sweet girl.
“There is nothing that tarnishes her character. She is surrounded by friendships.”
The Penitentiary Administration Department has told local media that Livia is being held at the Oscar Stevenson Women’s Prison and is awaiting transfer.
