It all happened on January 13 in the historical district of the city center, when Hessel Hoeskstra was with a friend, also Dutch. Footage from CCTV cameras on the street captured the moment two foreigners were surrounded by a group of men.
Hessel was brutally attacked in the face and fell and hit his head on the pavement, resulting in a serious head injury. Seeing that the man had lost consciousness, the thieves fled without taking anything, and the friend managed to call for help.
The victim was temporarily in Brazil to perform work for which he was invited by the company. The friend left his job and returned to the Netherlands. Police are now trying to identify the thieves, nicknamed the Correntigny Gang.
It’s not exactly a gang, but that’s what many who rob people every day in the center of Sao Paulo are known for. They do everything in a matter of seconds, especially the “chains”, as the gold threads are called in Brazil.