02/12/2023 – Military police officers arrested three militiamen in Guaratiba, West Zone. According to official information, the officers were in the Cinco Marias community, following a report that an irregular event was taking place in the region. At the beginning of the action, criminals tried to escape, but the car was surrounded and in it were three men with four pistols. When searching the area, officers found a motorcycle, six cell phones and four weapons.
This Content Is Only For Subscribers
To unlock this content, subscribe to INTERLIRA Reports.
03/12/2023 – A 23-year-old young man died after being stabbed in the center of Pavuna, North Zone. He was on Avenida Sargento de Milícias when a fight broke out. According to witnesses, his mother was involved in an argument with a homeless man in Praça Copérnico. When he tried to intervene, he was stabbed several times.
04/12/2023 – Five men were shot dead during a shooting in the Covanca community, in the Tanque neighborhood, in Jacarepaguá, West Zone. One of the men was a motorcycle courier who had just dropped off a passenger at the entrance to the community. Four other men were shot in a confrontation with military police. Three rifles, a grenade, a radio communicator, and drugs were seized.
04/12/2023 – The Federal Police (PF) arrested two women with almost half a million reais in cash at the Novo Rio Bus Station, in the Port Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The passengers were going to São Paulo and carried the money in two backpacks. The approach, carried out by federal police officers from the Drug Enforcement Office (DRE), occurred after routine inspection of passenger luggage, with the aim of repressing interstate drug trafficking.
04/12/2023 – A man was killed in Realengo, West Zone, according to his family, by a childhood friend after an argument over football. Vasco fan Jefferson de Assis Silva, 29 years old, was cut in the neck with a broken bottle. Jefferson’s relatives say that, on Sunday (03/12), he and a friend, a Flamengo fan, argued and exchanged provocations. The next day, the friend set up an ambush. He waited for Jefferson to leave the church and followed.
04/12/2023 – A woman and her 4-year-old daughter were victims of robbers on Rua Ângelo Agostini, in Tijuca, North Zone. The two robbers approached the victim’s car at 22:43. They point their guns at the driver and enter the car on the passenger side. The criminals took the car, the victim’s cell phone, the wedding ring, a diamond ring, and the bag with wallet and documents.
06/12/2023 – Amid a series of cases of violence in Copacabana, South Zone of Rio, a candy seller was attacked after being mistaken for a thief. Matheus Almeida was working and arrived to sell candy at a neighborhood restaurant, when he was surprised by the establishment’s waiter, who punched him.
06/12/2023 – Argentine citizen Florencia Aranguren, 31, was found dead on the trail to Praia José Gonçalves, in Búzios, in the Lagos Region. She was stabbed and beaten to death on Estrada de José Gonçalves at around 8:30 in the morning. She took walks with her dog every day around the region.
07/12/2023 – The family of the little boy Gui, 9 years old, suffered a robbery outside the São Januário Stadium. According to the boy’s mother, the criminals took cell phones, watches, a wedding ring and even pointed the revolver at them, who were inside the vehicle, returning home. Known for being a great football lover, the boy Gui went viral on the web after waking up from a coma and hugging his mother.
07/12/2023 – A resident of Grajaú, North Zone, was robbed twice on the same day. In the second episode, he was returning from the police station, where he recorded the 1st robbery, and was the victim of the 2nd crime. The crime happened at 4:20 on Rua Mearim. Two criminals on a motorcycle approached a taxi with the driver and passenger. While one criminal gets off the motorcycle and heads towards the taxi driver, the second criminal searches the passenger. As he does not find any valuables with the victim, he joins his partner on the motorcycle, who stole the taxi driver’s cell phone, and the pair then escape.
07/12/2023 – A man was arrested by police officers from the BOPE hostage rescue unit in the Morro Dona Dalva community, in Itanhangá, West Zone. He is accused of having kept his wife and 3-month-old son in private prison at home. After the rescue, the victim told police that she was threatened with a knife.
08/12/2023 – A gang made up of men and women, Brazilians, and foreigners, carried out scams using dating apps with the intention of stealing crypto assets from victims. The Public Ministry of Rio carried out an operation to execute arrest and search warrants against the group that started conversations with potential victims through dating apps, arranged dates, drugged the victims, and took their cell phones to make immediate transfers of crypto actives.
10/12/2023 – Four men were arrested by agents carrying out a Prohibition blitz in Campo Grande, West Zone. In the car where they were there were 3 rifles. According to the State Government Secretariat, the agents saw a vehicle on the wrong side of Estrada do Magarça and ordered it to stop. In the vehicle, the police found, in addition to 3 rifles, 4 pistols, ammunition, ballistic vests, ninja caps, cell phones and a badge imitating that of the Civil Police. The vehicle was listed as stolen.
11/12/2023 – Fourteen cell phones were seized at the Dr. Serrano Neves Penitentiary, in Bangu, West Zone, during the 2nd phase of Operation Mute, launched with the aim of combating illicit communication by organized crime and reducing violence rates throughout the country. The action was carried out by the State Secretariat for Penitentiary Administration of Rio de Janeiro (Seap) and the National Secretariat for Penal Policies (Senappen), which together seized the devices, three routers and drugs.
11/12/2023 – Two men were arrested for supplying weapons to criminals to carry out robberies in Copacabana, South Zone. According to the police, the men were approached inside a taxi, while they were carrying a revolver. According to the corporation, the weapon was hidden under the vehicle’s handbrake. Preliminary information indicates that the pair would take the revolver to a criminal in Morro Pavão-Pavãozinho.
11/12/2023 – A man was shot dead in Bangu, West Zone. The victim’s daughter said that her father had just parked on Rua dos Limadores when a hooded man fired shots. The man, who is a businessman, was identified as Marlon Márcio Mendes Alvarenga, aged 43. He was hit in the head and died at the scene. He arrived to open his establishment when he was killed. He was being investigated as one of the leaders of a gang that carried out a R$7.8 million scam on an iron and steel distributor.
11/12/2023 – A man broke into a building on Rua Cardeal Dom Sebastião Leme, in Santa Teresa, downtown Rio de Janeiro. Without finding anything of value or being able to enter any apartment, he ended up stealing the condominium’s Christmas tree. The crime was recorded by a security camera at the entrance. Street residents said it wasn’t the first time this thief had acted. Recently, in a neighboring building, he stole three bicycles.
12/12/2023 – A man was murdered at the door of his house in Campo Grande, West Zone, with at least 20 shots. Lucas Henrique Rodrigues Dias, 27 years old, was arriving home and was killed in front of his wife and baby. According to the police report, the victim was surprised by three shooters in front of his residence. In security camera images it is possible to see that the four criminals arrived in a black car. Three men got out of the vehicle and started shooting at the victim.
12/12/2023 – The State Secretariat for Public Security (Sesp), the Civil Police of Espírito Santo and the Special Operations Battalion (BOPE) of the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro carried out an integrated operation in Complexo da Maré, North Zone. According to the police, the objective is to capture criminals from Espírito Santo who are hiding in the Nova Holanda favela.
13/12/2023 – A chase followed by a shooting left a criminal dead in Bonsucesso, North Zone. A rifle was seized at the time. The case is being investigated by the Capital Homicide Police Station (DHC). According to the Military Police, agents came across a vehicle that was reported stolen. The driver sped up when he saw the car. The police gave an order to stop, which was not followed. The chase began.
13/12/2023 – A succession of crimes ended with five men arrested in the Lagoa neighborhood, South Zone. According to the Military Police, the group kidnapped a man in Ricardo de Albuquerque, North Zone, and, in the stolen car, went to the South Zone to carry out other crimes in the region. The criminals were found inside Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. Teams that were on patrol noticed movement near a vehicle on Avenida Epitácio Pessoa, in Lagoa, South Zone. Upon the arrival of the officers, the five criminals chose, as an escape route, to throw themselves into the lagoon.
14/12/2023 – A police chase ended with gunshots and two people arrested on Avenida Presidente Vargas, in downtown Rio. Jirdley Júnior, 40, and Rodrigo Alves, 41, were arrested for illegally carrying weapons. According to the police, they are part of a gang specialized in bank robberies. The police claim that they were going to rob, and that two motorcycles provided cover for the criminal action. The police are also investigating whether bank employees are involved in the criminal scheme.
15/12/2023 – A police chase ended with one criminal dead and another injured on Avenida Brasil, near the Irajá neighborhood, North Zone. Police began following two cars that left Parada de Lucas at high speed, where they were carrying out an operation. According to the Military Police, the occupants disembarked and began shooting at the police. The military retaliated. In the cars, which were stolen, the police seized 2 rifles, 4 grenades and radio transmitters.
15/12/2023 – A military police officer and a former Military Police soldier were arrested on Avenida Pastor Martin Luther King Jr, in Irajá, North Zone. They were in a cloned car that was approached by military police during a blitz. In addition to being expelled from the corporation, the former PM has four criminal records. In total, four pistols, a shotgun, ballistic vests, and ammunition were seized. Handcuffs, a radio transmitter, two company badges and a balaclava were also found with them.
16/12/2023 – Police arrested a man who was carrying around 5,000 rifle ammunition in his car. The criminal, whose identity was not revealed, was arrested on Rua Alice Tibiriça, in Vila da Penha, North Zone. According to agents, the man was taking the ammunition to drug dealers in Complexo de Israel, a group of favelas in the North Zone.
16/12/2023 – A 29-year-old woman was arrested by the Federal Police at Tom Jobim International Airport, Galeão, in the North Zone. She intended to board a flight to Sri Lanka, Asia, carrying around 6 kilos of cocaine.
17/12/2023 – Federal police officer Francisco Elionezio Braga Oliveira was killed by a military police officer (PM) in a kiosk in Barra da Tijuca, West Zone. Employees at the location said that the police were called to restrain the federal police officer, who was a customer and appeared to be armed during an argument. According to witnesses, customers tried to restrain the federal police officer, who allegedly slapped him twice and pointed his gun at the PM before being shot. The woman who accompanied the federal agent and who was shot in the leg denied that the police officer threatened the police officers.
18/12/2023 – A military police officer from the state of São Paulo responded to an attempted robbery at the Oswaldo Cruz train station, North Zone. According to the incident, a group of armed men tried to rob passengers who were in a carriage when the train stopped to board and disembark at the station. The police officer, who was armed, reacted, and fired shots at the criminals – who fled along the railway line. During an inspection of the train tracks, officers found a dead man with gunshot wounds to his abdomen.
19/12/2023 – Two passengers were injured in a robbery on a bus on Rodovia Presidente Dutra, near São João de Meriti, in Baixada Fluminense. A plainclothes military police officer who was in the vehicle reacted and shot the 2 criminals, who died instantly. The bus runs between Madureira and Autora, it was crowded, and passengers panicked due to the shooting.
19/12/2023 – The auditor of the General Comptroller of the State of Rio (CGE) Guilherme Brederode Rodrigues, aged 36, was shot dead in an attack by bandits in Vila Isabel, North Zone. He was surrendered by at least three men when he was driving along Rua Gonzaga Bastos. The woman who was with him was not injured. The criminals’ action lasted less than 20 seconds. Several shots were fired, and the bandits then fled without taking the car.
20/12/2023 – The Federal Police launched Operation Seventh Commandment. One of the targets is the brother of Rio state governor, Cláudio Castro, Vinícius Sarciá Rocha. The action aims to investigate the crimes of criminal organization, scam, corruption, and money laundering, which were allegedly committed in the execution of state government assistance programs. The frauds allegedly occurred between 2017 and 2020. Payments of illicit benefits ranging between 5% and 25% of the contract values were identified.
20/12/2023 – An argument between two men — one of them armed with a pistol — took place on Rua Leopoldo Miguez, in Copacabana, South Zone, and ended with at least five shots being fired. Nobody was injured. Teams from the Copacabana Battalion went to the scene and took those involved in the turmoil, which was allegedly motivated by a dispute over a parking spot, to the police station.
21/12/2023 – Two men died after being shot in Terreirão, in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, West Zone. Another man was injured and taken to hospital. The Capital Homicide Police (DHC) reported that it is investigating the deaths. Officers carried out investigations to identify the perpetrator and clarify the motivation for the crime. According to the Military Police, a pistol was seized at the scene.
22/12/2023 – The Special Operations Battalion (BOPE), of the Military Police, carried out an operation in Complexo da Maré, North Zone. According to the corporation, the teams were concentrated in Vila do João. There is no information on arrests or seizures. According to residents, there had been a shooting starting at 3:50.
23/12/2023 – State deputy Giselle Monteiro shared on her social networks that she was the victim of an attempted robbery on Avenida Brasil, near Vila do João, North Zone. In images released by the parliamentarian, her car appears with a gunshot mark on the passenger window. According to the parliamentarian, the vehicle she was in was approached by heavily armed men who, in addition to shooting, hit the car’s bodywork with butts.
24/12/2023 – A shooting left nine people shot on Avenida Brasil in Bonsucesso, North Zone. One of them, a doctor who was driving along Avenida Brasil, was shot in the neck. At least one Military Police (PM) vehicle and two other cars were shot at. Bandits in a vehicle left the Parque União community and, after being ordered to stop by the police, shot at a bus in an attempt to escape.
24/12/2023 – An attempted robbery at a street store in Tijuca, North Zone, ended with a criminal shot and two arrested. According to the Military Police, a group tried to rob Lojas Americanas on Rua Conde Bonfim around 10:00. One of the criminals was shot by a civil police officer inside the store. Two other criminals were located and arrested by military police.
26/12/2023 – The Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE) began an operation in Complexo da Maré, North Zone, to try to arrest those involved in the shooting that left 9 people shot on Avenida Brasil on the 24th of this month. The State Secretariat of Military Police reported that BOPE went to the communities of Parque União and Nova Holanda. No arrests or seizures were recorded.
26/12/2023 – A team of employees from Light – an electricity company – was attacked by a group of residents on Rua Enfermeira Mercedes Sanches Bastos, in Deodoro, North Zone. According to the concessionaire, service providers went to the location to cut power to a residence due to non-payment, when they were attacked.
26/12/2023 – A 16-year-old teenager, dressed in a Santa Claus hat, was arrested after trying to steal a gold chain from an off-duty Military Police sergeant. According to Security Present agents from the Vila Isabel/Grajaú base, the victim was holding his son on his lap, on Rua Barão de Mesquita, in Grajaú, when the teenager passed by on a bicycle and ripped the cord from the victim’s neck.
27/12/2023 – The Military Police carried out an operation in Vigário Geral, North Zone. There was an intense shooting in the region since the end of the morning. One police officer and three criminals died. Two Military Police officers were injured, and two criminals were arrested. One of the objectives of the action was to arrest Álvaro Malaquias Santa Rosa, aged 34, known as Peixão, head of drug trafficking in the region.
27/12/2023 – The Civil Police arrested a man suspected of participating in several car robberies in Tijuca and Grajaú, North Zone. According to the police, Luiz Alexandre Nunes Leoncio pretended to be an app delivery person to monitor the Military Police’s actions. Investigations demonstrated that Luiz participated in choosing the victims and received an amount for each successful vehicle theft.
28/12/2023 – A 43-year-old penitentiary police officer, stationed at the Dr. Manoel Martins Lisboa Júnior Penitentiary, in Minas Gerais, was arrested in Rio de Janeiro for facilitating the entry of cell phones to members of the Red Command (CV) imprisoned in the Minas Gerais prison unit. He was arrested at home in the Padre Miguel neighborhood, North Zone. The action is part of an investigation of a corruption scheme carried out by the agent. He would be receiving undue amounts to facilitate access to cell phones by prisoners linked to the criminal organization held at the Muriaé Penitentiary.
29/12/2023 – Militiaman Antônio Carlos dos Santos Pinto, known as Pit, aged 44, appointed as militiaman Zinho’s right-hand man, was killed on Rua Cerquilho, in the Três Pontes community, in Paciência, West Zone. The victim’s body was in a car. A nine-year-old child was also hit in the head by the shots. The Capital Homicide Police Station (DHC) is investigating the crime. According to investigations, Pit was one of those responsible for the group’s finances.
TRENDS & ADVICE
- During summer months, mass robberies and thefts in touristic spots become the most prevalent security risks in Rio de Janeiro, specially in the city’s South Zone.
- Crowded beaches and its vicinities should be avoided.
- Avoid any display of wealth (jewelry, cell phones), but always carry a small amount of money (R$50) to hand over to muggers.
- In case of robbery: cooperate, do not try to run after the assailant as he or she might not be alone or turn violent.
- In the case of being in the immediate vicinity of a shootout:
- Lay on the ground and seek cover.
- When it is safe to do so, find the nearest building, stay away from windows, do not move unless you are sure that the gunfire has ended.
- Avoid walking alone in poorly lit areas or beaches after nightfall. Avoid walking through tunnels.
- Avoid the vicinity of crime-prone areas such as ‘communities’ (so-called ‘favelas’) and lower-income neighborhoods.
- Be always cautious, even in the areas considered safe such as Downtown, Botafogo, Copacabana and Ipanema. Exercise caution in the Centro during the day and avoid the area after nightfall and on Sundays.
- Be careful when using the GPS as they may lead you to unsafe areas controlled by organized crime. Prefere Cooperative taxis instead of driving yourself.
