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Journalism of Courage
In a scene straight out of an action movie, undercover police officers in Sao Paulo took down a suspected thief during the city’s vibrant carnival—while dressed as the Power Rangers. The arrest happened near Ibirapuera Park, where the disguised officers, blended in with the festival-goers in elaborate costumes.
As soon as the suspect was tackled to the ground, the crowd erupted in excitement, chanting “Power Rangers! Power Rangers!” while capturing the surreal moment on their phones. The bizarre yet effective bust went viral, with people online amazed at the unexpected mix of crime-fighting and cosplay.
According to Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas, Sao Paulo’s governor, the suspect was caught with seven stolen mobile phones. Sharing the news on X, he couldn’t resist a nod to the iconic 90s superhero squad.
“IT’S TIME TO MORPH! Our Civil Police Power Rangers are putting on another show this Carnival! Always alert, our heroes noticed the suspicious behavior of a duo inside the block and with an approach that no ranger would find fault with, they arrested the criminal and recovered seven cell phones at once. He is part of a gang identified from this arrest, which resulted in searches at the criminals’ lodging place and the recovery of four more stolen devices and R$15 thousand in cash. GO GO POWER RANGERS!” his caption reads.
https://twitter.com/tarcisiogdf/status/1896167942443700505
Video shared by the governor captures a group of officers dressed in head-to-toe lycra suits in red, blue, yellow, and green, blending in with the carnival crowd while paying tribute to the iconic TV show. One officer, fully suited as the black Power Ranger, holds up a handful of recovered mobile phones, proudly showing them off to the camera.
The video went viral and netizens took to the comments to share their views. A user wrote, “I found this idea very creative. Congratulations to the São Paulo Police.”
Another user wrote, “This is what we expect from the state governor. Congratulations!!” A third user commented, “Power Rangers could recover the water here in Campo Limpo, Capão and the region. 3 weeks of (literally) empty water tank.”
Brazil isn’t the only place where police have gotten creative with their disguises to catch criminals. In Lima, Peru, an officer took undercover work to a whole new level by dressing up as a capybara during a Valentine’s Day drug bust. The operation led to the seizure of 1,700 packages of cocaine and marijuana.
Peruvian police are no strangers to unusual disguises—they’ve even pulled off raids dressed as Marvel superheroes like Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor, and Black Widow.
