Influencer arrested for string of bank robberies alongside boyfriend
An influencer known for flaunting her voluptuous assets on social media has been apprehended by police after allegedly committing multiple robberies with her beau outside banks in Brazil.
Karina Laino Gomes, who boasts over 63,000 followers on TikTok, and her boyfriend Edmilson Souza da Silva, were taken into custody by police on June 7 in Rio de Janeiro, CEN reported.
The pair, like a would-be Bonnie and Clyde of TikTok, were charged with robbing people en route to make either deposits or payments at the ATMs of various banks.
According to investigators, Gomes’ role was to get the victims to let their guard down before another member of the crew robbed them at gunpoint, as seen in a scary surveillance video.
Meanwhile, a getaway driver would park in front of each financial institution, ready to ferry the gang to safety following a job, Globo reported.
Gomes and company had been monitored by police since the end of May amid a spike in these brazen crimes.
This week, the security team at a bank in the Realengo neighborhood tipped authorities off about the presence of a suspicious car, a Hyundai HB20, outside the bank.
Police subsequently arrived at the scene, whereupon the couple tried to flee, only to be apprehended a few feet from the branch. They reportedly had a loaded .38-caliber handgun in their possession, which authorities later confiscated.
The pair has since admitted to the robberies and also named four accomplices, who authorities are currently on the hunt for. They will remain in police custody until the investigation has concluded.
Along with her TikTok presence, Gomes had also amassed 50,000 followers on Instagram before the account was suspended on June 9 following her arrest — meaning she’s effectively in both Instagram and real-life jail.
The influencer-cum-alleged criminal frequently posted pics showing off her buxom body as well as her luxurious lifestyle.
One of the photos depicted the heavily tatted Gomes toting a replica firearm, while another showed Gomes behind animated bars that she’d digitally imposed via an Instagram filter.
“If being jealous, possessive, crazy, and neurotic were crimes,” she joked in the latter.