Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant is robbed of his mobile phone by gang of Brazilian muggers
- Tennant was targeted by the gang while out for an evening stroll
- The singer was in Rio de Janeiro performing with the band at a music festival
- The Pet Shop Boys hired extra security after the incident
Pet Shop Boys lead singer Neil Tennant has been mugged in Rio de Janeiro, a day after playing a music festival in the city.
Tennant and the group's long-time programmer, Pete Gleadall, both had their mobile phones stolen by the gang who confronted them while they were out walking.
The Pet Shop Boys were playing the Rock in Rio event and the incident was reported in the online gossip column of O Globo.
At around 8.30pm Tennant and Gleadall headed out of the Belmond Copacabana Palace hotel for a walk towards the Leme Beach area.
Neil Tennant was mugged by a gang in Rio de Janeiro, a day after playing a music festival in the city
The pair were confronted by four people who took money and mobile phones.
Pet Shop Boys are believed to have hired security staff to protect them for the duration of their stay.
Spokesman for Pet Shop Boys, Murray Chalmers, said the thieves were not armed.
Tennant performing with the Pet Shop Boys on the Mundo stage during the first day of the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro
'They had no knives. Pete Gleadall had his phone stolen and reported it to the police,' he told The Guardian.
'Neil had his phone stolen but didn't report it. Pet Shop Boys are saying it wasn't a big deal, and that it wasn't violent and that phone theft is the most common crime in that area.'
Tourists are often targeted in Rio de Janeiro but local police said they had no official information on this case.
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