criminals. >> translator: you have to see it to believe. we're not going to be able to have long hair anymore. as a woman this is something dramatic. >> reporter: authorities have cently noticed an increase in the number of attacks with women. the common denominator, all of the victims had long hair. >> translator: it's happening downtown at the beach or the mall where you find a lot of young women. the thieves grab them, and cut it. they sell it at beauty or hair salons. >> reporter: they call them piranhas. it's a crime of opportunity. they are fast and seem to have very little compassion for their victims. it's also happening in neighboring colombia. luna says the time she real estated what had happened to her the thieves fled and a chunk of