Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In a disturbing incident from Brazil, a woman brought the corpse of a 68-year-old man in a wheelchair into the bank to co-sign a loan for her, said the police, on Wednesday (Apr 17). 

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Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes rolled in a lethargic-looking man – whom she repeatedly referred to as “uncle” – into the bank in a Rio suburb when the staff sensed something was not right. 

What we know about the incident

On Tuesday (Apr 16), Nunes wheeled the corpse into the bank in Rio and told the bank teller that the elderly man wanted a loan for $3,250. 

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In the security camera footage, Nunes was seen standing next to the deceased who was in a wheelchair and seemingly trying to hold his drooping head up repeatedly. 

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Subsequently, she was seen talking to the cadaver and even held a pen and moved his hand forward to no response.

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In the disturbing footage first aired on Brazil’s largest broadcaster, Nunes was seen referring to the corpse as her “uncle", and asking him to sign financial documents that would allow her to take out the loan. 

“Uncle, are you listening? You need to sign. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, because I can’t sign for you,” she can be heard saying in the security footage, asking him to sign the documents. 

She added, “Sign so you don’t give me any more headaches, I can’t take it anymore.” When an employee tries to point out that he does not look well, Nunes quickly dismisses it. 

“He doesn’t say anything, that’s just how he is,” she said, adding, “If you’re not okay, I’m going to take you to the hospital.”

However, the bank staff did not buy her story as they were already suspicious and called the police who arrested Nunes on the spot. Meanwhile, the corpse was reportedly taken to a morgue. 

‘She knew he was dead’

The elderly man was later identified as Paulo Roberto Braga, 68, who had been dead for several hours before he was wheeled into the bank. 

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“She knew he was dead” police chief and investigating officer Fábio Luiz Souza told breakfast news programme Bom Dia Brasil on Wednesday, as quoted by the Guardian. He added that he had never come across such a story in his 22 years of being a cop.

“She tried to pretend to get him to sign the loan. He already entered the bank dead,” said Souza, as quoted by the New York Post, adding that the important thing to do right now is to investigate the other family members and find out more about this loan. 

The police are also investigating if Nunes is actually his niece or not. 

(With inputs from agencies)