The men who kidnapped a reporter and a technical aide from leading Brazilian television network Globo have released the helper, at about 11 pm, on Saturday, August 12, in front of the São Paulo headquarters of the TV .
Alexandre Coelho Calado, 27, was dropped with a package containing a video. There is information that the criminals will only release the reporter Guilherme de Azevedo Portanova, 30, if the tape is aired by Globo.
Police suspect the kidnapping was the work of the prison gang PCC (First Command of the Capital), who has terrorized São Paulo for three times since May. Portanova had authored a series of reports critical of the PCC.
Calado and Portanova had been abducted around 8 am after having breakfast at a bakery on Luiz Carlos Berrini avenue, close to Globo’s headquarters, in the south zone of São Paulo. With the help of a few witnesses the police were able to prepare a composite picture with the three abductors, which has been released to the press.
The Globo’s employees were about to enter the company’s vehicle when they were approached by two armed men who were also in the bakery. They used two cars to escape: a black GM Vectra, which was burned a little later and a red Volkswagen Gol. Nothing was stolen from the Globo vehicle.
Portanova’s beat generally involves matters dealing with public security. Globo hired security people to accompany its reporting team after the incident. The kidnapping scared other reporters and cameramen who were refusing to go out.