'Family man' taxi driver dies agonising death after robbers make him drink acid

A dad with a "huge heart" tragically died after he was forced to ingest acid as he was tortured during a robbery.

Tiago Augusto Nicolau, 30, from Brazil, popped out of his house to wash his car at his mother's but never returned. One day later, a local worker spotted him fighting for his life in the middle of the road.

The married cabbie was found with serious injuries to his mouth and tongue. Firefighters raced to the scene and took him to hospital in Leme, north-west of São Paulo. He was admitted to ICU.

Before he died on June 18, Tiago was about to recall what had happened to him. At around 2pm, two armed individuals had forced him to stop the car and had taken him to a remote spot.

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There, he was assaulted and forced to drink a corrosive substance, before the crooks fled with his Renault Sandero and his mobile phone. Tests confirmed Tiago had been forced to ingest an acid, but the exact substance is either not known or is known and is being withheld.

Medics discovered he had also sustained severe injuries to his larynx and oesophagus. The case was originally registered as robbery but is now being investigated as robbery-homicide, following Tiago’s death in hospital.

Police are still working to identify the suspects. Tiago’s loved ones describe him as a family man who was dedicated to his wife and young daughter, Sofia.

He had been working as a rideshare driver after vision problems forced him to leave his previous job in the Brazilian Air Force. He was laid to rest in Leme on Friday, June 20.

His friend Luana Sampaio said: “Titi, you weren’t just my best friend, you were my brother. A guy with a huge heart, full of plans, with a love that overflowed for Sofia, for whom you lived and dreamed every day.”