Melqui Galvao Transferred to St Paulo Civil Police Prison After Manaus Arrest
Melqui Galvao was transferred to a civil police prison in northern st paulo after police took him into custody in Manaus last week. The jiu-jitsu instructor and defendant was handed over to Sao Paulo police at Guarulhos International Airport before the move.
Galvao faces charges tied to a 17-year-old athlete and to allegations from at least three additional athletes who later came forward. Officers from the Women’s Defense Police Station plan to interview additional witnesses before formally interrogating him the following week.
Guarulhos Airport handover
Police received Galvao at Guarulhos International Airport after his arrest in Manaus, where he traveled on the eve of the arrest and turned himself in to authorities. He was then taken to a civil police prison in the northern part of Sao Paulo, marking the latest step in a case that has moved across cities and police units.
Relatives of one of the young women who made allegations met him at the airport. The young woman trained at one of Galvao’s gyms in Sao Paulo and sought help at the Women’s Defense Police Station.
February allegations in Italy
The case began with an accusation from a 17-year-old athlete over conduct during a jiu-jitsu competition in Italy in February. Galvao sent messages to the young woman’s parents addressing the episode directly, writing: “I didn’t put my hand under your daughter’s butt. Sofia was lying down, her belly was showing, and I touched her belly. I touched her quickly; I thought she had been asleep for about three seconds, maybe at most,”
Reports also indicate that Galvao offered financial advantages to those involved in exchange for their silence. Following the first complaint against him, Galvao was removed from his active police officer position, and the expanding number of allegations has kept the inquiry from narrowing to a single account.
Women’s Defense Police Station
At least three additional athletes have since said they were also assaulted by Galvao in Manaus, widening the investigation beyond the original complaint. A spokesperson for those involved said, “He should truly be punished for all the harm he has done to all the people who have come forward, who have already denounced him, who are already in the media, and those who have not yet spoken out of fear,”
Galvao, who lived in Jundiai and is the father of jiu-jitsu world champion Mica Galvao, now faces witness interviews before the formal interrogation begins the following week. For people following the case, the practical next step is the police questioning that follows those interviews, not a new arrest or transfer.
