Truck driver Tobias Trevisan, a resident of Ypora do Oueste, in the west of Santa Catarina, was found tied up on Wednesday morning (age 31) in Umuarama, Parana. He went missing and the family searched for the man’s whereabouts.

Truck driver Tobias Trevisan was taken hostage in Paraná. Photo: Personal archive / ND

After he was found, he was taken to the Umuarama Civil Police Station to testify. Tobias and another truck driver would be lured into a trap through an external app and their cars would be stolen. Another victim was Francisco Beltrao of Parana. The civil police are investigating the case.

The truck drivers were taken hostage by thieves who hacked into the victims’ bank accounts. Transfers were made via PIX and the men received death threats and were forced to call bank branches to confirm the movement of the money. About 13,000 reais were stolen.

The victims were tied hand and foot and taken to the road. Only on Wednesday morning, almost 24 hours later, did they manage to free themselves and turn to the PM (military police) for help.

According to police, one of the trucks with the tracker was in Mundo Novo, Mato Grosso do Sul state. Police still believe the car was taken to Paraguay. There is no information yet on the whereabouts of the other truck.