- Eduardo Vasconcelos allegedly plotted the robbery of the condo where Neymar’s former girlfriend Bruna Biancardi lived
- The 20-year-old planned the invasion with two suspects after he learned that famous people lived in the same complex where he mother and stepfather live
- Vasconcelos was arrested moments after the incident Tuesday; his two accomplices are still at large
The suspect arrested in the robbery at the home of Neymar‘s former girlfriend and daughter reportedly planned the invasion after he learned that famous people were living in the same condominium as his mother and stepmother.
São Paulo authorities arrested Eduardo Vasconcelos on Tuesday, a day after he and two other young men invaded the home and held Bruna Biancardi’s parents hostage in the upscale São Paulo neighborhood of Cotia.
The 20-year-old had moved back into the home of his mother and stepfather less than a week ago and started to plot the robbery after he learned that Biancardi was living in the condo with the Brazilian star soccer player’s one-month-old daughter, police said.
Biancardi, who reportedly was no longer living at the home, released a statement Wednesday and said, ‘The case is already in the hands of the competent authorities and justice will be done.’
Authorities search the home of the family member of one of the suspects in the São Paulo neighborhood of Jardim Arpoado and located a sword and a jewelry collection that was stolen.
Surveillance footage showed Vasconcelos arriving at the condominium with his two accomplices moments before they broke into Biancardi’s apartment.
Online news outlet Quem reported that the intruders, including two who were armed, were searching for her and the baby, but instead found her parents there.
Cotia Civil Police delegate Mônica Gamboa told news outlet UOL that the suspects tied up Biancardi’s parents, aged 50 and 52. They forced her father to lay face down on a mattress and took her mother to the kitchen, where they threatened her with a gun and told her they would ‘throw hot oil’ on her face unless she revealed where the jewelry was.
‘They asked Biancardi’s mother to show them where the valuables were. They demanded bags, jewelry and money,’ Gamboa said. ‘The mother showed that the house safe was empty, and one of them asked: ‘What do you mean? Does Neymar’s mother-in-law have no money at home?”
The suspect were inside the residence for about 25 minutes before neighbors heard the commotion and alerted the police.
Vasconcelos fled on foot and was arrested near the condo moments after the incident.
His two accomplices, including a 19-year-old, escaped with jewelry as well as Chanel, Dior and Louis Vuitton handbags. They remained at large as of Wednesday.
The Civil Police identified the 19-year-old, but have not released his name, and are working on identifying the third suspect.
‘Material things are recovered, the important thing is that everyone is OK and that the people involved are being found,’ Biancardi wrote on her Instagram account.
Neymar, who is recovering from a November 2 surgery after he tore his ACL during Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Uruguay two weeks, also lamented the attack on his own Instagram account.
Brazilian news outlet Metropoles reported that Vasconcelos was arrested for the first time in December 2021 on a drug charge.
He was apprehended again in June 2022 for selling cocaine and crack, and was later convicted and received a one-year sentence.
