I had a lucky escape this Parish Festa Weekend. Graças a Deus!
The pictures below are from the Military Police, I took it off a local website.
The elderly gentleman in the picture paid me a visit on Saturday with a story that his wife had died in a neighbouring local city and he needed some help to pay for the bus trip so he could attend the funeral. He asked for BR$65.00. I checked with the bus station about the price, and they informed me it was BR$45.00. So I asked him about the difference. His story now changed and he was bringing his son with him. The trouble was I had seen him with the two guys, and neither his story, nor the cost of tickets did not add up, so I guessed right he was not telling the truth. So I gave him a few bob, not what he asked for, and sent him on his way.
That night, these three guys robbed the parish hall of cigarettes and chocolate that was to be sold during the parish festa.
On Sunday, the day of the festa, despite the fact they had no money the day before, they attended the festa and had plenty of money to spend! When he saw me he hid and put sunglasses on, and he nearly chocked on the meat as I sat down beside himself and the other two men and asked him how did the funeral go?
Later they were seen trying the doors and windows of the parochial house and the Military Police were called. But they had disappeared. Obviously they were looking to rob the proceeds of the Parish Festa, but I had insisted that it be stored else where and I had the house locked up tight, for that very reason.
That night they made it to the neighbouring town and broke into the parochial house there and robbed the local priest and tied him up. But they were quicky arrested by the Military Police. Our cigarettes and chocolate were found on them along with Euros and items belonging to my neighbouring parish priest.
It turned out they were very dangerous characters, wanted in numerous other cities for violent crimes and the local police were afraid to hold them so they shifted them to Juina city.
So Tuesday morning the Military Police came looking for the parish Jeep as they needed a number of vehicles to transport their prisoners. They were afraid to put more that one of them in the same jeep.
I was not too happy that the parish committe gave the Polícia Militar a loan of my jeep, as I had a number of communities to visit that day and the next. But, I suppose I was happy they did not get into the house either!
Police Picture - Loot & Prisoners.
Unlike Ireland, here people who are arrested are often photographed by the papers and TVs, even before a trial.
