Aveiro: Man Attacked and Robbed After Meeting Someone Through a Dating Site

A man was arrested in Portugal on suspicion of luring a victim to an isolated area after contact made on a dating site, then robbing and sexually assaulting him.

The contact had started normally enough, like any online-arranged meeting: messages exchanged on a dating platform, then a proposed meetup. But the location chosen was anything but ordinary — an isolated pine-forest area, far from view, near Aveiro.

According to the judicial police investigation, the victim, a 37-year-old man, was allegedly lured there under false pretenses. Once there, he was reportedly threatened with a bladed weapon, forced to hand over his phone's access codes — enabling several unauthorized bank transfers — and then sexually assaulted before being left at the scene.

A 35-year-old suspect was arrested by Aveiro's criminal investigation unit. Searches recovered the stolen phone as well as a bladed weapon matching the victim's description.

The man has been brought before judicial authorities in the Aveiro district. The investigation continues to establish the full circumstances of the attack.