Body of businessman who was ambushed is found on the banks of a river in Greater São Paulo

The body of businessman Marcelo Magalhães de Almeida, 31, was located by the Civil Police on Thursday morning (23) on the banks of the Cotia River, on the border between the cities of Jandira and Carapicuíba, in Greater São Paulo. Family members accompanied the search, which was supported by the Military Police.

Almeida had been missing for a week. The body was taken to a unit of the Legal Medical Institute, where it will undergo forensic examination before being released for burial.

Three men suspected of the crime are in custody, and police are searching for a fourth, who is at large.

At a press conference on Monday (20), delegate Fabiano Barbeiro, head of the 1st Police District of Carapicuíba, stated that the victim was lured into an ambush, held captive, and forced to make bank transfers.

Police said Marcelo was taken to a wooded area, where he was killed.

According to delegate Adalto Nogueira, who is leading the investigation, Marcelo was lured by a friend identified as Lucas Soares to a property used by him in Carapicuíba. According to police, he did not present a lawyer.

Also according to the investigation, upon arriving at the location, the businessman was overpowered, bound, and gagged by other suspects, whose names were not disclosed. The group then allegedly forced the victim to unlock his cell phone and make Pix transfers of R$8,000. His iPhone and car were also taken.

Marcelo was subsequently placed in his own vehicle and driven to a wooded area near a stream.

According to the account provided by one of those arrested, the victim was taken to the location while still alive, where he was then murdered.

According to the delegates, bloodstains were found at the property where Marcelo was held. The Civil Police are awaiting the results of forensic examinations to clarify the details of the crime.

The motive, according to the investigation, goes beyond the money taken from the victim's accounts. According to Adalto Nogueira, the friend had been receiving financial assistance from Marcelo for some time and feared that he would report the charges to the authorities.

"The main intention was not simply to take the R$8,000. The decision to kill him had already been made. The money was a consequence of that criminal act," said Barbeiro.