Tourist raped on minibus in Rio de Janeiro

A tourist was raped and robbed on a minibus in Rio de Janeiro while her boyfriend was handcuffed and beaten, Brazilian police say.

Two suspects, including the bus driver, have been arrested.

The BBC reports that the couple were attacked when they boarded the minibus in the Copacabana area of the city.

The couples' identities and nationalities have not been disclosed.

Suspects Jonathan Foudakis de Souza, 20, the bus driver, and Wallace Aparecido de Souza Silva, 22, told other passengers to get off the bus and drove it to the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, police said.

The woman was repeatedly raped as the minibus crossed the long bridge over the Guanabara Bay in Rio.

Her boyfriend was handcuffed and badly beaten.

The suspects then dumped the couple in the nearby city of Itaborai after forcing them to use their credit cards for shopping and to withdraw money from cash machines.

Lawyer Herald reports that the two culprits were arrested a few hours after the attack.

The tourists provided police with information about the minibus, which enabled investigators to identify the owner and find the person who rented it to use for public transportation.

A Brazilian woman went to police over the weekend and told officers that the same men abducted and raped her a week earlier on the same bus. She recognised the culprits after seeing their photos on the internet.

Robberies are common on buses in Rio de Janeiro but the violence and audacity of the attack has shocked local media.

Curbing violence is a major priority for authorities in Rio, which is hosting the football World Cup next year and the 2016 Olympics.

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