London couple on World Cup tour mugged by child gang with 'Crocodile Dundee' knife

 
Terror: Dan Montalbano, 30, and Marian Smith, 31 were mugged
David Churchill18 June 2014
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A London couple touring Brazil for the World Cup today spoke of the “terrifying” moment they were mugged by children brandishing a “Crocodile Dundee” knife.

Dan Montalbano, 30, and Marian Smith, 31, said they will never return to the carnival city of Salvador after the teenage gang confronted them following Friday’s match between Holland and Spain.

The couple, from East Dulwich, in south-west London, have warned other tourists to take taxis rather than walk in the north-eastern city and only draw cash from shopping malls and airports following a string of similar attacks.

They also told of a “mind-bogglingly useless” police force with four officers just driving off after pleading for help.

Ms Smith, a freelance journalist, told the Standard: “It was about 7pm, so dark but still early, and within ten seconds, as we walked up the little street towards where we were staying, this kid who can’t have been more than 15 was in my face holding a knife ten inches long right up in my face.

“The blade was probably only about four inches from my face. Three others came from nowhere and surrounded us and I could feel them tugging on my back pack, so I was just like ‘yes, just take it, just take it’. We got out of there as quickly as possible.”

“There was a camera lens, iPhone and about £50 cash so it could have been worse, but it was pretty terrifying.”

Mr Montalbano, a digital project manager, said: “It was like a Crocodile Dundee knife. It was huge. The whole thing was just a shock and put a dampener on things.”

He added: “After giving them the backpack we sprinted back down the hill and found the first police car, but they refused to help.

“We were like, ‘there are some guys with a large knife can you help? Can you escort us up to our flat?’ But they just told us to go to the tourism office and drove off.

“We then later saw three cops on motorbikes and we got our host on the phone to speak to them in Portuguese for us, but they just ignored us and rode off. You’re basically never safe.”

The couple, now in Rio as part of a six-month tour of South America, told how the ordeal came after a string of similar incidents near Pelourinho, an “old town” district to the west of the city.

One German tourist the couple spoke was mugged at gun-point while a friendly policeman who advised them only to draw out cash in shopping malls and airports had also even been mugged by gangsters carrying a firearm.

Ms Smith added: “Rio feels much safer and it was only really Salvador. My advice would be don’t carry anything with you you wouldn’t want to lose. No posh clothes or jewellery and if you’re going out after dark only go with a little bit of cash and clothes on your back.”

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