By EFE
Dec 18, 2023, 7:41 PM EST
The former Brazilian footballer Marcelinho Carioca, a player for Corinthians and Valencia, stated this Monday, after being freed from a kidnapping, that his captors pointed a gun at his head and forced him to transfer money to them.
The São Paulo State Police reported at a press conference with the former player that five people were arrested accused of extortion by kidnapping and that Carioca transferred around $40,000 reais (about $8,000 dollars) to the kidnappers’ accounts.
The former soccer player reported that three individuals approached him early Saturday in the eastern part of the city of São Paulo, after driving to a friend’s house to give her some tickets for a concert.
⚠️ URGENT! Marcelinho Carioca appears in the video stating that he became involved with a married woman after ‘Tardezinha’, in the Neo Química Arena, and was kidnapped by the girl’s husband.
🎥 Playback pic.twitter.com/yHoTzzZ8ON
— Planeta do Futebol 🌎 (@futebol_info) December 18, 2023
“They hit me on the head with their butts and when I got into the car they put a hood on me and I didn’t see anything,” he claimed.
The kidnappers took him and his friend to a house where they threatened him with a gun, asked for his cell phone password, and forced him to transfer money.
“I wasn’t worried about the money, but about my life and that of my friend. I told them I just wanted them to let me go.. It is not easy to have a gun pointed at your head all the time,” he said, excited.
The kidnappers, said the former player, forced him to record a video that later circulated on social networks in which he said that at the concert he had had an “arrangement” with his friend and that he had been kidnapped by her husband.
Carioca clarified at the press conference that he does not have any type of romantic relationship with his friend, while the Police pointed out that these types of videos are “common” to mislead investigators.
After receiving an anonymous complaint that pointed to a house where the kidnapped people were supposedly held, The agents went to the scene on Monday afternoon and saw two “nervous” women, after which they continued forward until they found Carioca.
As a footballer, he debuted in 1988 with Flamengo, later joined Corinthians and in 1997 he had a brief spell with Valencia.
An excellent free kick taker, which is why he received the nickname “Angel’s Foot”, he played four official matches with the Brazilian team, with which he scored two goals.
Keep reading:
– Casemiro could become the new figure who goes to football in Saudi Arabia
– Randy Arozarena celebrated the América title and was happy for Julián Quiñones’ goal
– FC Barcelona goes with all its figures for the friendly against the Águilas del América