In 2025, the state of Rio de Janeiro seized 186 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), an 11% increase from the previous year. This data surfaces following a recent explosion on March 20, 2026, at a bus terminal in Ilha do Governador, where a homemade grenade left inside an abandoned backpack detonated, injuring eight people. The Méier, Campos, and Bangu regions led the state in IED seizures, part of a broader total of 1,080 explosives confiscated last year.
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In the first two months of 2026, Rio de Janeiro recorded 5,344 vehicle thefts, a 5% increase averaging 90 cases daily. While Alcântara saw a staggering 158% surge, areas like Copacabana reported zero occurrences. Police are combating the trend through “Operation Torniquete,” while criminals increasingly use AI-generated images to scam victims for ransoms. Experts suggest that intense raids in gang-controlled territories may be diverting essential resources from routine street patrols.
19/03/2026 – A children’s party entertainer convicted of pedophilia was arrested on Thursday (19), in Campo Grande, West Rio, following an intelligence operation by the 16th DP (Barra da Tijuca). The man had been sentenced in 2024 to over four years in prison for virtual sexual abuse committed in 2020, where he groomed victims, including a 9-year-old, via messaging apps and online games. Despite his conviction, he continued to work as an animator and promote his services on social media until police tracked him to his mother’s residence.
19/03/2026 – On Thursday (19), a 20-year-old fugitive from Ceará was arrested on Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro, following a joint operation between the two states’ police forces. Wanted for murder and suspected of belonging to a Rio-based criminal faction operating in Varjota (CE), the suspect has a lengthy record including illegal weapons possession, theft, and robbery. Captured while hiding out in the tourist hotspot, he is currently awaiting transfer back to Ceará to face charges.
20/03/2026 – On Friday (20), an off-duty police officer was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery while walking his dog in Quintino, Northern Rio. The officer noticed four criminals on two motorcycles approaching and engaged in a shootout when one suspect drew a weapon. While the suspects fled and remain at large, the officer underwent surgery and is currently in serious but stable condition.
20/03/2026 – On Friday (20), a traffic dispute in Leblon, South Rio, escalated into a stabbing involving a driver and a delivery rider. Police reports indicate mutual aggression began after a near-collision, with the motorcyclist allegedly striking the driver with a helmet before being stabbed in the abdomen with a pocketknife. No immediate arrests were made due to the reciprocal nature of the injuries, which are currently classified as bodily harm.
20/03/2026 – On Friday (20), an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated at a bus terminal on Costa Carvalho Street in Ilha do Governador, in front of the Bananal Marine Corps barracks, injuring eight people, two of them seriously. Concealed in a black backpack, the bomb exploded when a bus driver handled it. Locally known as a “calíca”, the homemade device consisted of a metal structure filled with gunpowder, nails, and glass shards. This type of explosive is extremely unstable, capable of detonating from simple movement, friction, or heat, and projects lethal shrapnel over a wide area.
20/03/2026 – On Friday (20), a police chase ended in a shootout in the Pechincha neighborhood of Jacarepaguá, Southwest Rio, leaving two suspects wounded. The confrontation began on Henrique Costa Street after the suspects, riding a motorcycle, fired at officers during an attempted stop. Both the driver and the passenger were hit and received medical care. A local resident identified the duo as the perpetrators of a robbery involving a necklace and a ring, which were recovered along with a seized revolver.
20/03/2026 – On Friday (20), four students were robbed at gunpoint inside a women’s restroom at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) in Maracanã. The assailant, disguised as a delivery driver, stole cell phones and assaulted one student who refused to provide her passcode by pulling her hair and striking her. University security attempted to intervene, but the criminal managed to escape after threatening the agents. This incident has sparked widespread protests from students and faculty regarding the lack of internal security.
20/03/2026 – On Friday (20), a high-ranking member of the PCC (First Capital Command) was arrested in Vargem Pequena, Western Rio, after years as a fugitive. The individual served as a coordinator responsible for ordering the executions of rivals in the Paraisópolis community of São Paulo. Wanted on four outstanding warrants for murder and armed robbery, he was intercepted while using false identification. Authorities emphasized his extreme danger, noting that he had previously killed a prison officer during his escape in 2019.
20/03/2026 – On Friday (20), a police patrol from the 14th BPM (Bangu) resulted in a shootout in the Vila Vintém community in Padre Miguel, Western Rio, leaving two suspects dead. One of the deceased was a high-ranking drug trafficking leader responsible for operations in Vila Vintém and the Fumacê slum, who had been a fugitive since 2022. Officers seized a 5.56 caliber rifle, two .40 caliber pistols, three grenades, and twelve magazines. The area is currently identified as being under the control of the Friends of Friends (ADA) criminal faction.
22/03/2026 – On Sunday (22), motorists reported widespread extortion by illegal parking attendants (flanelinhas) in Rio’s Aterro do Flamengo and Glória neighborhoods, with fees reaching up to R$ 100 for public spaces. Victims described being intimidated and coerced into paying high amounts under the threat of having their vehicles scratched, particularly near major events and the Glória street market. In several instances, attendants directed drivers to park in prohibited areas, resulting in fines and towing by the Municipal Guard. A police operation led to the detention of 14 attendants and the issuance of 38 traffic citations for illegal parking.
22/03/2026 – On Sunday (22), a theft of cables was carried out on “Jaé” ticketing machines at the Ibiapina BRT station in Penha, Northern Rio. The suspect was captured on Mobi-Rio surveillance cameras removing the wires using pliers and blades. Shortly after the crime, municipal guards found the man sleeping inside the terminal, in possession of a bag containing the stolen material and his tools.
23/03/2026 – On Monday (23), an illegal scrapyard was shut down on Rio Apa Street in Cordovil, Northern Rio, following resident complaints. During the raid, municipal agents seized 70 kg of copper, eight electric motorcycle batteries, and various sharp objects. Beyond the illicit storage of materials that obstructed the sidewalk, technicians discovered that the establishment was operating via a clandestine power connection (electricity theft). The operation resulted in the seizure of all materials and the owner being arrested.
23/03/2026 – On Monday (23), a 23-year-old woman was assaulted in Rocha Miranda, North Zone, after rejecting a man’s unwanted advances while leaving a party. As she waited for a ride-share vehicle, the suspect began insulting her and forcibly pulled her out of the car, striking her in the head with crutches. The victim managed to escape with the help of a motorcycle taxi and sought medical care at a local emergency unit (UPA).
24/03/2026 – On Tuesday (24), Civil Police arrested Elane Cristina Santos Silva in Taquara, Southwest Rio, for her leading role in a Ceará crime faction. The wife of “Gilberto Mingau”, one of Ceará’s most wanted fugitives, she allegedly coordinated attacks, extortions, and robberies from Rio. Her group is notorious for turning the village of Uiraponga into a “ghost town” after forcibly displacing nearly 2,000 residents last year. While Elane is now in custody, her husband is believed to be hiding in Rio’s Complexo da Maré.
24/03/2026 – On Tuesday (24), the Military Justice ordered the final incarceration of several military personnel and civilians involved in an embezzlement scheme at the Military Institute of Engineering (IME) in Urca, South Rio. The network, which caused an estimated loss of over R$ 25 million, relied on 88 rigged bids and shell companies. The convicts will serve sentences ranging from 5 to 16 years, either in an army police unit or at the Bangu prison complex for civilians.
25/03/2026 – On March 25, 2026, Civil Police arrested in Realengo, West Zone, a 20-year-old transgender sex worker known by the alias “Manu Gaúcha” (identified as Iago de Souza Pilar), who had been sentenced to 24 years in prison for robbery and extortion. A fugitive since April 2025, she used dating sites to lure men, often married, whom she then threatened with a knife to obtain money via credit card terminals. She supplemented her illicit income through blackmail, demanding large sums by threatening to expose private messages to her clients’ families.
25/03/2026 – On Wednesday (25), an intervention by the “Segurança Presente” program at the Senhor Abravanel School in Largo do Machado, in the Catete neighborhood, South Rio, led to a physical confrontation between a police officer and representatives of student unions. Police were called by the school administration following the activists’ refusal to leave the premises during the signing of a petition against a teacher suspected of harassment. The officer was filmed beating a young woman and then attacking her collegue, who attempted to protect her. The agent has been preventively removed from the streets while an internal investigation is underway.
26/03/2026 – On Thursday (26), officers from the Special Rounds and Crowd Control Battalion (Recom) arrested a fugitive and an accomplice on the Linha Vermelha highway, at the entrance to Cidade Universitária in North Rio. During the stop, police identified that the vehcile the pair was driving was stolen and that one of the men had an outstanding warrant for murder.
26/03/2026 – On Thursday (26), Civil Police discovered a narcotics “bunker” hidden within a house in downtown Rio de Janeiro. Protected by a 350-kg steel door, the secret compartment served as a hideout and drug depot for the Comando Vermelho. Three men linked to gang leaders “Abelha” and “Piu” were caught in the act and arrested with a large quantity of drugs. According to investigators, traffickers are increasingly using these historic buildings as mobile sales points to facilitate quick escapes through the rear or neighboring properties.
26/03/2026 – On Thursday (26), a territorial dispute between rival factions left three men dead in the Para-Pedro community, in Irajá the neighborhood, North Rio. According to reports, members of the Comando Vermelho (CV) invaded the area to seize control from the Pure Third Command (TCP). Military Police discovered the bodies after responding to reports of gunfire.
26/03/2026 – On Thursday (26), Civil Police arrested a man in the Rio Comprido neighborhood, North Rio, accused of raping and threatening his own 26-year-old daughter. The crime occurred on February 19 in Araruama, where the suspect allegedly intoxicated the victim with alcohol before assaulting her. After the attack, he fled to the state capital and began sending her sexual audio messages and threats.
