Woman mugged on live TV giving interview about Brazil crime wave
A woman was mugged as she was being interviewed live on camera about crime in Brazil.
A brazen thief attempted to snatch the gold chain from her neck as she spoke to a TV crew about robberies sweeping the World Cup city of Rio de Janeiro.
The incident occurred as the woman spoke to the TV station RJTV, reports the Metro.
The interviewer dropped his microphone and ran after the assailant but he lost him in the traffic-packed street.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the woman was unharmed and the thief actually did not manage to get away with her necklace.
The programme had been focused on whether members of the public had noticed a rise in crime in the Central do Brasil area of Rio.
The news comes after it was revealed the Rio governor has called in the army to help take back the favela slums ahead of the football tournament.
According to the Independent, with the World Cup less that two months away, the favelas represent the biggest security crisis facing Rio since it launched the police pacification units (UPPs) programme five years ago.
The initiative saw lawless territory ruled by drug traffickers be replaced with a police presence.
Thousands of troops have been called in to continue the peace process and will stay indefinitely to reduce threat to the thousands of visitors visiting for the World Cup.
There have also been reports that the country is less than prepared for the tournament. According to The Courier, there are doubts about whether stadiums will be finished in time, as well as other promised infrastructure work.
Organisers are also worried about street protests that are expected during the tournament, with demonstrators already unhappy about corruption, poor public services and the billions of dollars being spent to host the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.
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