A social media influencer has been arrested for planning and staging her own kidnapping for the sake of gaining more popularity online.
Monniky Fraga was arrested on Tuesday morning, nearly a year after the alleged kidnapping incident in April 2025.
Fraga Claimed She and Her Husband were Attacked, Assaulted and Forced to Pay a Ransom
Fraga and her husband were attacked by three armed men outside their home in the town of Igarassu, Brazil, taken hostage, assaulted and forced to pay ransom. Fraga claimed that she and her husband were inside their car near their house when they were attacked, with the 27-year-old later recounted to her tens of thousands of followers.
Police started investigating the case after Fraga reported the crime, claiming she and her husband were victims of a kidnapping. Fraga had also spoken to several media outlets about the alleged kidnapping. However, it turns out the kidnapping was staged by Fraga to boost her follower count.
Police arrested Fraga on suspicion of faking her own kidnapping in order to generate popularity and media coverage, according to a local police report cited by Portuguese outlet Globo.
Fraga was Previously in a Relationship with One of the Alleged Kidnappers, Staged the Plot to Deal with Declining Follower Count
Detective Cley Anderson stated that the investigation indicated the kidnap for ransom was a plot by the victim and one other person. "As the investigation progressed, it found indications that the alleged kidnap-for-ransom was in fact nothing more than a plot between the supposed victim and one of the perpetrators," he stated.
"From what we can confirm, especially since the investigations are still ongoing, the influencer had a past relationship with one of the participants in what we believed to be a kidnapping," Jorge Pinto, deputy delegate of the Special Operations Group (GOE) told the outlet.
The investigation involved 30 police officers and resulted in the arrest of two suspects and the search of two properties. According to the police investigation, three other people, in addition to Fraga, were involved in the plot.
"The investigation suggests she not only knew about it, but agreed things in advance and stayed in contact with one of those involved afterwards," stated Anderson.
Fraga's Husband was Unaware of the Kidnapping Plot
One of the accomplices is already in prison for another crime, another was killed before he could be arrested, and the third person, who is suspected of receiving the ransom money, had his property searched in Várzea Paulista. The force also suggested that Fraga's husband, who was allegedly assaulted by the men, was not aware of the situation beforehand.
Pinto went on to allege that Fraga has masterminded the kidnapping in response to declining followers, adding: "The victim, in fact, was the mastermind behind the fake kidnapping, which was committed with the aim of gaining followers on social media. "From what we can ascertain from the investigations, she was experiencing a decline in her social media following."
