On April 21 of last year, influencer Monniky Fraga and her husband, Lucas, faced a situation that initially appeared to be a genuine kidnapping. According to her account on social media, the couple was stopped by three armed individuals near their home in Igarassu, northern Brazil.
"I was returning home with Lucas when we were ambushed on the road. I thought they were going to take the car, but when they forced us into another vehicle, I realized the situation was much more serious," she told her followers.
According to Monniky's version, they were taken to a wooded area near a river and forced to pay a ransom for their release. She recounted that the perpetrators constantly threatened them with weapons and that she feared she would never see her family again.
"In my mind, I was only thinking about my children. I said, 'I'll give you whatever you want, just don't do anything to me,'" she recalled, adding that the aggressors threatened to shoot her in the knees or legs.
After the requested sum was paid by family members, the couple was released in a rural area. Her husband, who according to reports had been assaulted during the incident, immediately went to the police and filed a complaint. Authorities launched an investigation through the Civil Police of Brazil and a special operations unit.
But soon, investigators noticed something was off. Phone records showed that Monniky had been in contact with one of the suspected kidnappers, both before and after the event. Evidence analysis led to a shocking conclusion: according to a police commissioner, "the kidnapping for extortion was nothing more than a staged scenario between the alleged victim and one of the perpetrators."
However, the investigation revealed that her husband was not involved in this plan. He turned out to be the only real victim, not only believing his life was in danger but also being physically assaulted during the incident.
On March 25, nearly a year after the event, Monniky Fraga was arrested on charges of extortion, procedural fraud, and false reporting. One of her suspected accomplices has also been arrested, another died last year, while a third is still at large. Meanwhile, her lawyer has declined to comment on the matter for now.