In a bizarre incident that has left many in shock, a woman in Brazil was arrested for attempting to secure a loan using a deceased man’s identity.

The woman, identified as Erika Vieira Nunes, entered the bank located in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday April 16, pushing a wheelchair with a corpse in it.

According to local media reports, the body in the wheelchair was identified as 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga, her alleged uncle.

Reportedly, she casually approached the teller and stated that the man, who had been dead for hours, wanted a loan of 17,000 reais (Ksh 430,350)

How it happened 

The teller happily obliged thinking that the man was just sick, the documents were brought and Nunes held a pen and moved the man’s hand forward, hoping to make it appear as if he was signing the loan documents.

Security footage showed Erica talking to the elderly dead man, whom she addressed as her “uncle,” asking him to sign documents that would allow her to take out the loan.

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“Uncle, are you listening? You have to sign it. I can’t sign for you,” she says as she places a pen between his fingers.

However, the man did not respond, prompting Nunes to suggest that she sign for him.

Additionally, according to local media the bank employee is heard telling the woman: “I don’t think this is legal. He doesn’t look well. He’s very pale.”

To which the woman responded by informing the teller that the man was just quiet and that if he was not okay, she would take him to the hospital.

“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.”

Despite the man’s obvious lack of response, Nunes persisted, even moving his hand in an attempt to mimic a signature.

Police Corner Woman 

The suspicious behavior of the woman, coupled with the man’s unnatural posture and lack of vital signs, prompted bank staff to alert the authorities, who arrested Nunes on the spot-on fraud charges.

Consequently, the corpse was taken to the morgue, and a subsequent forensic analysis determined that the man had died earlier, while lying down.

Nunes’ lawyer argued that the man died at the bank, but the police investigation found otherwise contradicting Nunes’ claim that he had died on the premises.

Local police chief’s remarks

Local police while speaking to the media confirmed that the dead man, Paulo Roberto Braga, age 68, had passed away a few hours earlier.

“She knew he was dead … he had been dead for at least two hours,” said investigating officer, Fábio Luiz Souza.

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He also said that they would checking closed-circuit cameras inside and outside the bank to determine if the woman acted alone or with other accomplices.

“The investigation is continuing to identify other family members and to find out if he was alive when the loan was arranged and when it dates from.” he said.