A Mexican woman has been taken into custody over her alleged role in a series of World Cup ticket scams that saw desperate fans lose nearly $1.7 million.
Lidia Silva Cruz was brought in by cops in Tlalnepantla de Baz, near Mexico City, for her part in an alleged plot alongside her boyfriend – who is said to be still on the run.
Cruz and her boyfriend, Simon Selmen, are alleged to have agreed to meet up with a couple on May 22 in a bank in Coacalco after promising them some highly sought-after tickets to the World Cup opener on June 11.
Instead of tickets to the game, they are claimed to have bundled the victims into a car at gunpoint before fleeing with $4,600.
According to Imagen TV, that incident was just a small part in a much wider scheme that robbed World Cup fans out of almost $870,000 in total, after they promised VIP suites to fans.
A Mexican journalist – Carlos Jimenez – shone light on the case when he shared details and even arrest footage from the scene.
Raul Jimenez celebrates after scoring the first goal of the World Cup in the opening game
Lidia Silvia Cruz has been arrested for her alleged role in a ticket scam during the tournament
Another alleged scammer, Edgar Ramirez, is also on the run after authorities in Mexico City said he also sold $870,000 in fake tickets to fans desperate to see the Mexico-South Africa game.
He is alleged to have sold more than 60 fake tickets to the game but failed to meet fans outside the stadium on the day.
It is claimed he told them his mom had died, before he stopped answering their calls and text messages as the day got closer, according to authorities.
Outside the stadium, some fans were left ticketless after Edgar Ramirez failed to show up
Tickets to the opening game of the World Cup were extremely hard to come by for fans
In a bizarre twist, his wife – Areli Nava – is said to have reported him missing in the build-up to the game.
He claimed he had access to the tickets through a sponsor, and told the gullible fans to meet him at 10am outside the stadium, detailing that they should wear black t-shirts, light-colored jeans and white sneakers.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the State of Mexico Attorney General’s Office for comment on the investigation.
