In the last ten years, Barra da Tijuca and Recreio dos Bandeirantes have experienced an explosion in real state development. Along with investments, however, came crime. Barra and Recreio have become the epicentre of wars between drug traffickers, militiamen and bicheiros, they have become the scene of barbaric crimes — such as the attack that killed three doctors on the waterfront last week — and are witnessing a dizzying increase in murders. According to the Public Security Institute (ISP), from January to August 2023, 72 violent deaths were recorded. This is the highest number of cases in the region since 2003. Compared to the same period last year, when 29 people were killed — the increase was 150%. Along with neighbouring Jacarepaguá, Barra and Recreio are the areas where cases of violent fatalities have increased the most throughout the State of Rio.
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05/10/2023 – A newsstand on Rua Moraes e Silva, in Tijuca, North Zone, was robbed by three elderly men. The crime was recorded by security cameras. One of the elderly people uses crutches, they broke in and stole products from the place, using a kind of master key. Among the stolen products are 30 boxes of cigarettes. They left the scene with trash bags full of stolen products. The loss to the newsstand owner was around R$4,000.
06/10/2023 – Three men were arrested in Barra da Tijuca, West Zone, after robbing a restaurant inside Barra Shopping. The criminals were arrested by agents from the Barra Presente program. According to the police, the men robbed Galeteria Continental and tried to escape. The crime happened around 14:00. A revolver and cash were seized from them.
07/10/2023 – A fight around the São Januário Stadium, in Barreira do Vasco, North Zone, ended with one man dead and two injured. According to witnesses, the confusion began shortly after the football match between Vasco and São Paulo. Agents from the community’s Pacification Police Unit (UPP) said they were working to clear traffic in the region when they heard a gunshot. When they arrived at the scene, they found two men shot.
07/10/2023 – Armed criminals tried to steal a car on Rua Cardoso de Castro, in Anchieta, North Zone. The robbery attempt was recorded by security cameras at a workshop. In the video, it is possible to observe the moment when two armed men get out of a car and approach the vehicle, however, the car driver manages to quickly back away and avoid the robbery. The previous day, however, another incident took place on the same street, this time it was successful. The criminals ended up stealing a car.
07/10/2023 – A man was shot in Morro do Jordão, Taquara, West Zone. According to the Military Police, officers were traveling along Rua São Jorge when they were attacked with gunfire that came from a forested area of the favela. The police stated that they did not fire any shots during the incident. Morro do Jordão is the target of dispute between militiamen and drug traffickers, who seek to control the region, as well as other parts of the city.
07/10/2023 – A pair of criminals invaded a house in Campo Grande, in the West Zone, where they captured and tied up three members of a family. They jumped over the wall at the back of the residence to access the property. With knives in hand, they captured the family and demanded money and telephones. In addition to death threats, the duo also attacked the family. The woman was also raped by one of the criminals, in front of her partner and her son. The two criminals managed to escape but were arrested the next day.
09/10/2023 – The Civil and Military police began a joint operation in Maré, in Vila Cruzeiro — both in the North Zone — and in Cidade de Deus, in the West Zone. A thousand agents were mobilized, and residents of different locations reported shootings late in the morning. At the beginning of the action, two police helicopters were hit by gunfire. The offensive is a response to the death of the 3 doctors in Barra da Tijuca, last week, and seeks to arrest members of the leadership of Red Command, the largest drug trafficking faction in the state. The operation continued for four days until Friday (13/10). On Tuesday (10/10) police retook the club that had been transformed into a tactical training center for criminals. On Wednesday (11/10), the Civil and Military police targeted heads of the Third Pure Command (TCP), the second largest criminal faction in the state.
09/10/2023 – A sergeant, assigned to the São João de Meriti Battalion, Baixada Fluminense, was arrested by officers from the Narcotics Repression Police Station (DRE) while transporting one hundred kilos of drugs. He was approached while passing through Avenida Brasil, close to Rodovia Washington Luiz. According to initial information, the narcotic material would have come from Penha, North Zone of Rio.
09/10/2023 – A Mexican man was arrested with four kilos of methamphetamine, a synthetic drug, during a joint operation between the Federal Police and the Federal Revenue Service, at Rio de Janeiro International Airport. The 19-year-old prisoner had arrived at Galeão, on a flight from Panama City, where he stopped from Guadalajara, Mexico.
09/10/2023 – A passenger was injured during a robbery inside a Supervia train. The robbery took place near the Marechal Hermes station, North Zone. The victim was hit in the head and had his cell phone stolen.
10/10/2023 – Three men were arrested with illegal possession of 47 rifles and hundreds of rifle ammunition in Barra da Tijuca, West Zone. The weapon was found by the Federal Police (PF) in a wardrobe and in suitcases distributed throughout the house in a luxury condominium. During the action, federal police officers also located weapons and ammunition inside three luxury vehicles that were also seized. According to the PF, the house was rented by men who are from Minas Gerais.
12/10/2023 – During Federal Highway Police (PRF) patrolling in Nova Iguaçu, in Baixada Fluminense, teams from the Special Operations Center (NOE-RJ) exchanged gunfire with criminals in a stolen car. After giving the order to stop, the agents say, the men in the vehicle began shooting at them. One of the criminals died at the scene. The shooting took place around 14:00, in the old Rio-São Paulo (BR-465), close to km 32, commanded by the militia. In the car, agents seized a rifle, a pistol and ammunition.
