Arouca man shot dead by fake cops

A 22-year-old man was shot dead at his home early on Thursday morning by gunmen who claimed to be police.

Police said Sidney Villarael was at home at Bon Air North, Windy Hill, Arouca, with relatives at around 1 am when they heard a knock at their door.

A relative asked who it was and a voice replied, "Police."

The relative opened the door and two men came inside and went to Villarael's bedroom. They beat him and ordered him to lie on the floor, then shot him several times in the head.

The men than ran out of the house.

One of the relatives saw Villarael bleeding in the bedroom.

Police were called in and a district medical officer declared Villarael dead.

Senior police are advising the public to verify whether people claiming to be police are in fact officers.

"Dont open the door until you call the police station and ask if they have any exercises going on in the area. You can also ask the person claiming to be an officer to see their police identification badge."