Rio police are looking for two suspects who are responsible for a prostitution network involving adolescents in a residential condominium building located in an area around the Barra Olympic Park in Rio's western zone.

Police from the Child and Adolescent Victims Unit (DCAV) carried out an operation on Thursday (the 28th) morning to arrest Jonathan Alvez Mendes, 24, and Márcio Garcia de Andrade, 33, both considered to be fugitives.

The criminals had been staying in two apartments in the Villa da Barra condominium building, one of them in a luxury penthouse.

The adolescents were staying in another apartment in the building. Christiane Bento, a policewoman investigating the case, told Folha that the locale being used by the gang was chosen due to its proximity to the Olympic Park and was targeting the increased influx of tourists. The criminals had been staying in the apartments for about a year.

Also according to the investigator, at least 6 girls aged 15 and 16 were victims of the scheme. They were attracted by advertisements they saw on social networks supposedly looking for models. The criminals used profiles on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube with the name 'Dreams of Modeling'.

"The adolescents stayed in an apartment that was also being used for the sexual encounters. There was a high turnover of girls. An employee in the community revealed that the girls only left in the company of criminals to go to the beauty salon and the gym and that they came back at night to receive clients", the investigator said.

Two other men were also identified as members of the gang, but their names weren't revealed. The police haven't ruled out the involvement of additional people in the scheme as well.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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