Thieves take cameras, cellular phones, wallets

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) -- Forty-six Brazilian policemen traveling to a sports competition were caught with their guard down this week when four Brazilian thieves robbed the bus carrying them to the event.

The bus with 46 unarmed policemen from northeastern Paraiba state was headed to the city of Salvador in Bahia when two cars with armed robbers forced them to stop on the country's main interstate highway on Tuesday.

"The robbers took their cameras, cellular phones, wallets and even the sports uniforms and sneakers," a police spokesman said.

The suspects, who escaped, apparently did not know the bus was full of police when they stopped it, he said.

"We are looking for them, but I cannot say there's any particular ardor here due to the fact that policemen have been robbed."

Copyright 2004 Reuters.