Brazen thieves rob photographer Brett Costello with elaborate plan

WATCH NOW: This is the moment an elaborate sting saw News Corp photographer Brett Costello robbed of thousands of dollars of equipment on the beach in Rio.

EXTRAORDINARY footage has emerged of the sophisticated sting that saw photographer Brett Costello robbed on the beach in Rio.

The brazen thieves stole a carry-on luggage case full of expensive equipment on the busy cafe district on Ipanema Beach in the middle of the day.

CCTV vision of the brazen theft at the Aussie coffee shop Kraft Cafe reveals Costello was targeted by a three-person gang of thieves, who look anything but opportunistic criminals.

News Corp photographer Brett Costello was robbed in Copacabana of all his camera equipment. Picture: Adam Head

Two middle-aged men in business clothes and a blonde woman had likely scoped Costello out earlier in the day as he took photos of Aussie Olympic sailor Matt Belcher at Ipanema beach.

In two angles of the crime, the footage shows in great deal the tactics the seasoned thieves used to distract him, create the path for a quick getaway and how they tricked him into running the wrong way in pursuit of the thief.

Like a scene from the hit movie Focus, starring Will Smith Margot Robbie, which shows a team of people working together to dupe their victim, the group sting is the most common form of street robbery in Rio.

The cafe where Brett Costello was robbed.

Security experts warn tourists and Games visitors to avoid interacting with random locals and remain vigilant at all times.

The footage shows a woman start a conversation in Portuguese with Costello who is standing near the entrance of the coffee shop with his camera bag at his side. As she speaks and waves her arms around, two men are seen inching towards the bag. The first attempt to grab the bag is foiled when Brett notices his bag has moved slightly but the woman keeps talking and one of the men can be seen lifting the bag and doing a runner.

In a callous twist, the second angle shows Costello racing out of the cafe after the theft and then being pointed in the wrong direction by the second man involved in the sting.

All three thieves slip away as Costello desperately sprints up the street.

CCTV footage from the Kraft Cafe in Ipanem shows Brett Costello standing with his hands on his head after the robbery.

“I had an idea that it had to be a few people involved,” Costello said.

“It makes me wonder whether there is more going on around there than you realise.

“I guess I still feel silly but maybe after seeing the video, not quite as silly.”

Costello said he made a return visit to the coffee shop yesterday a ittle wiser and a lot more aware of what was going on around him.

“I noticed a few suspicious looking men around the cafe, some of them on phones and looking up and down the street,” he said.

Looking for their next victim.

HERE IS HOW THE SNATCH UNFOLDED

ANGLE ONE

Brett Costello can be seen arriving at the cafe with his bag pictured in the bottom left of the screen.

1. Costello and The Australian sports reporter Simon King enter coffee shop and find a seat. As King orders coffee, Costello places his bag next to a chair. Watch the mirror on the opposite wall.

2. Thieves can be seen for the first time in the top left corner: two middle-aged men and a blonde woman. The woman enters and begins to talk to Costello in Portuguese, and in the mirror you can see one of the men makes an unsuccessful bag snatch attempt. Costello senses the movement and repositions his bag.

“I just thought that because it was a bit busy. There were people walking past and I thought someone had bumped it,” Costello said.

The woman in black whose job it was to distract Brett Costello so his bag could be stolen.

3. The woman continues to distract Costello, and starts jabbing at her phone. As Costello turns towards her more, the thief moves in again. In the mirror you see the bag disappear.

“I thought I was pretty careful and I thought I was aware,” Costello said.

“The girl talking to me didn’t feel right but at the same time you don’t ignore someone if they keep talking to you. I should have ignored her.”

Costello turns, sees his bag has been stolen and races out. The blond girl slips out behind him.

SECOND ANGLE

Two of the thieves (pictured centre of the screen) waited outside the cafe while their accomplice worked inside.

1. The two male thieves, who had almost certainly scoped Costello photographing Aussie sailor Matt Belcher on Ipanema Beach shortly before, spot their target. One rolls up his sleeves and the blond woman joins them and is sent in.

2. One of the thieves moves in and has a crack at Costello’s bag, but comes back out after almost being caught. When he sees the girl is still confusing Costello, he swiftly moves back in.

The man in the blue shirt can be seen reaching for Brett Costello’s bag in the mirror reflection in the top right of the image.

3. The thief has the bag and callously knocks a young child as he races out of the coffee shop and turns right.

4. As Costello comes racing out and also turns right, the accomplice stands in his way and points the Daily Telegraph photographer to the left. The Fake Samaritan trick sends Costello up the wrong way and the three criminals disappear.

“I just thought he was an innocent bloke who’d seen it and was being helpful,” he said.

The snapper returns to the scene gutted. He has been the victim of a complex sting.

The second of the men waiting outside sends Brett Costello (pictured bottom right) searching in the opposite direction to which the thief ran.

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