In two of the main favela complexes in Rio — Penha and Manguinhos, both in the North Zone — residents prevented from working due to police actions lost, on average, 7.5 days of work per year, generating a loss of R$9.4 million, reveals the research “Favelas in Mira do Tiro: Impacts of the War on Drugs on the Economy of the Territories”, launched by the Center for Security and Citizenship Studies (CESeC). In these communities, nearly 90% of reported shootings involve state agents. A routine that, according to the survey, also interruptes access to essential services, such as electricity and internet, and causes the temporary closure of local businesses. In total, 800 people were interviewed in both regions. Of those who stated that they carried out paid activities (69% of the total) and knew about one or more operations during the period, 60.4% were unable to work due to the incidents. Based on the interviews, the amount spent on replacing or repairing property damaged in police actions was also determined: R$4.7 million per year in the two sets of favelas. Most residents also reported having been prevented from using means of transport (56.6%), from carrying out activities such as leisure (42.8%), from receiving packages (33.3%), from attending medical appointments (32.3%) and studying (26%).
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16/09/2023 – The Madureira neighborhood, North Zone, recorded intense shootings during the early hours of the morning. Shots were heard in the communities of Serrinha, Juramento, Congonha and Primavera. These communities are close to Praça Seca, where clashes also took place this week. Witnesses said that traffickers from the Third Comando Puro (TCP) left Complexo da Serrinha and took control of Morro da Primavera from Comando Vermelho (CV).
16/09/2023 – A man was arrested, and a minor was apprehended by BRT Seguro agents after robbing a passenger who was waiting for the bus. The robbery took place at Recreio dos Bandeirantes Station, West Zone. The cameras recorded the moment when one of the criminals approached the victim and threatened her with a knife.
17/09/2023 – A 16-year-old teenager was shot on a street in Brás de Pina, North Zone. According to the young man’s mother, he was helping his father load the kombi to work at a fair. According to witnesses, men on a motorcycle passed by the scene, firing several shots, some of which hit the teenager. Father and son were in the location known as Buraco da Cidade Alta, when the young man was hit.
17/09/2023 – An off-duty military police officer reacted to an attempted robbery on Rua Itaboraí, in Duque de Caxias, Baixada Fluminense. During the shooting, a 72-year-old man was shot. Security cameras show the moment when men get out of a car and point guns at the police officer’s vehicle, who was with his wife. He reacts and starts shooting from inside his own car.
18/09/2023 – A mate seller was arrested in São Conrado beach, South Zone. Known as Léo do Matte, he is 39 years old, and there were four arrest warrants against him. Furthermore, the seller already had seven criminal records for car theft and robbery of pedestrians, all involving the use of a firearm. According to the police, he committed crimes in neighborhoods in the North Zone of Rio and used false documents to avoid being identified.
18/09/2023 – A 22-year-old woman was arrested at the Rio de Janeiro Bus Station while trying to board a bus to Juiz de Fora (MG) with two pistols. She was caught by military police officers in a routine action on the boarding platform.
19/09/2023 – A grenade was detonated on Yellow Line, on the road towards Barra da Tijuca, close to the neighborhood of Pilares, West Zone, early in the morning. Nobody was injured. Employees of the concessionaire that manages the expressway found the object during a routine inspection and called the Military Police. The military then called the Civil Police Bomb Squad, which chose to detonate it. The incident resulted in the closure of two lanes of the Yellow Line.
19/09/2023 – A suspect was arrested after robbing a man in Guadalupe, North Zone. The victim is a local celebrity for being the lookalike of a football player from Flamengo, Gabigol. According to the influencer, when his car was passing near the Muquiço favela, two armed men in a vehicle approached him and announced the robbery.
19/09/2023 – Councilor Marcos Braz (PL), Flamengo’s vice-president of football, was involved in a fight with a fan of the team in Barra Shopping, West Zone. According to witnesses and videos, the fight started after the fan criticized Marcos Braz about Flamengo’s situation. The fan allegedly charged the leader and then was attacked by the security guard and the councilor, who bit him. After the confusion, Braz was locked in a store and only left the place escorted by policemen.
19/09/2023 – A stray bullet hit a 7-year-old girl who was in a car that was passing along the Presidente Dutra Highway, near Irajá, North Zone, when there was a shooting. At the time, the Civil Police, and the Federal Highway Police (PRF) were chasing criminals in another phase of Operation Tourniquet, against vehicle theft.
21/09/2023 – Military and civil police carried out an operation in Cidade de Deus, West Zone. The action aims to arrest criminals involved in a war over territories between drug traffickers and militiamen in the Praça Seca region, also in the West Zone. Teams from the Special Operations Battalion (BOPE) went to Cidade de Deus, with the support of agents from the Special Resources Coordination (Core). By 6:40, three criminals had been arrested. To make it difficult for the teams to move, bandits set fire to barricades made with debris and trash.
21/09/2023 – A man who was part of the Zinho militia, largest in the state of Rio, was killed with rifle shots on Avenida Antares, in Santa Cruz, West Zone. Known as Renan Bomba, he was 36 years old and was one of the militia member’s security guards. He was driving along the road when he was attacked by men in another vehicle.
