News Corp photographer Brett Costello robbed in broad daylight on Ipanema beach

NEWS Corp photographer Brett Costello has been robbed in broad daylight of almost $40,000 worth of equipment in a cafe close to Ipanema Beach in Rio.

AWARD-winning News Corp photographer Brett Costello has become the latest victim of Rio’s De Janiero’s notorious crime gangs, robbed in the middle of the day by a woman inside a busy coffee shop.

Costello, in Rio to photograph the 2016 Olympic Games, lost thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment in the brazen heist at Rio’s popular tourist town, Ipanema.

It took only 10-seconds for Costello to be blindsided by what he believed was a local woman seeking help.

But her role in the scam was merely to distract the esteemed photographer, whose heavy bag of camera gear sat directly beside him inside the cafe’.

As the woman conversed briefly with Costello in Portuguese, it was then that an accomplice snatched the bag, making a getaway in a nearby vehicle.

News Limited photographer Brett Costello was robbed in Copacabana of all his camera equipment while covering the Olympics. Pics Adam Head

They were gone before Costello had a chance to react.

Costello reported the incident immediately to local authorities.

“I’m gutted and I feel stupid that I wasn’t wise to their plan,’’ Costello said.

“I know that I’ll probably never see my bag or gear again. And as disappointing as that is, I take solace that I wasn’t injured or hurt.

“It only took 10-seconds, but even that is enough to remind the thousands of tourists and media here in Rio for the games to never let down your guard.’

“I was ordering the coffee and was with my gear and then all of a sudden a woman asked me a question, so I turned briefly, probably for 10-seconds.

“I felt something was not quite right and my bag with all my gear was gone.

“She was speaking to me for about 10 seconds, not long at all. I was in shock.

“No one saw a thing, I couldn’t believe it, I was later told there was a getaway car outside. They work in numbers and they’re good at what they do unfortunately.

“The police weren’t overly surprised, there was a camera in the cafe but I don’t think that’s going to help.”

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Originally published as News Corp photographer Brett Costello robbed in broad daylight on Ipanema beach