The Public Ministry of the State of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ) requested, on Friday (9), the inclusion of João Ricardo Mendes, former CEO of the Hurb travel agency, on Interpol’s red list of wanted people, in addition to blocking his passport.
According to the MPRJ, João Ricardo has been on the run since Wednesday (7), when the Rio Court ordered his preventive detention after identifying repeated non-compliance with precautionary measures imposed in criminal proceedings.
The former executive was charged in May 2025 with the crimes of qualified theft and tampering with vehicle identification and was released.
Last Monday (5), when trying to board using a false document and with the electronic ankle monitor discharged.
Despite his arrest, João Ricardo after a custody hearing, by complying with new precautionary measures, such as travel restrictions and periodic obligations before the Court.
Given the episode, the .
the court highlighted that the electronic monitoring report pointed out repeated violations, especially due to the conduct of allowing the ankle bracelet to remain unloaded.
With the former CEO unable to be located after the court order, the Public Ministry requested the inclusion of João Ricardo Mendes’ name in Interpol’s red broadcast, a mechanism used to locate and arrest international fugitives.
Who is João Ricardo
João Ricardo Rangel Mendes, 44 years old, is the founder of the tourism platform Hurb (formerly known as Hotel Urbano), created in January 2011. His trajectory at the head of the company was marked by controversies, which culminated in his .
The departure occurred amid an image crisis due to customer complaints about reservation cancellations and the company’s financial problems. The situation worsened after accusations that Mendes insulted and threatened to expose the personal data of dissatisfied customers on social media.
João Ricardo’s father died during the businessman’s childhood, and he was raised by his mother along with his brother. Before founding Hurb, one of his first ventures was a drinks stand on the beach. He also started law school, but did not complete it.
In addition to the customer relationship crisis, Mendes and Hurb were summoned to testify at the CPI das Pirâmides Financeiras due to accusations of using customer money as working capital and not fulfilling contracts. They did not attend the initial session of the CPI.
“Hurb is like a ‘son’ to me, but I need time to reflect, to turn my attention to myself, and, when I feel better, to focus on building a global technology company”, says the letter.
