In January 2025, street robberies in Rio de Janeiro increased by 30% compared to January 2024, with 3,696 cases recorded, according to data from the Public Security Institute (ISP) released on Thursday (27). The South Zone was the most affected, particularly the neighborhoods of Flamengo, Catete, and Laranjeiras. Phone thefts saw the highest rise (+48%), followed by attacks on pedestrians and public transport passengers. In response, the police intensified operations and enhanced technological surveillance.
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In January 2025, vehicle and cargo thefts in Rio de Janeiro increased by more than 40% compared to January 2024, according to data from the Public Security Institute (ISP) released on Thursday (27). The Baixada Fluminense region was the most affected, with 880 vehicles and 104 trucks stolen. Meanwhile, security forces seized 96 rifles and recorded an increase in arrests made in the act.
According to a study by the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan), more than 50% of cargo thefts in 2024 occurred in the Baixada Fluminense, resulting in an estimated loss of R$325 million. With 3,438 recorded cases, these crimes increased by 6.6% compared to 2023, breaking a six-year downward trend. Most thefts took place on the major highways of the metropolitan region. The most targeted goods are food, beverages, and electronic products, which are particularly vulnerable to theft and easy to resell on the black market.
01/02/2025 – On Saturday (01/02) a retired military police officer was fatally struck on the head on Aroaqui Street, in Campo Grande, West Zone. He was trying to break up a fight when the attack occurred. Officers from the 40th BPM found the victim already deceased upon arrival. The Homicide Division is investigating.
01/02/2025 – On Saturday (01/02), an off-duty civil police officer was targeted by armed criminals on Avenida Dom Hélder Câmara, in Engenho de Dentro, North Zone. His armored vehicle was hit by twelve bullets as he tried to escape, he was not injured. A military police patrol intervened, leading to a gunfight.
02/02/2025 – On Sunday (02/02), a suspect was arrested on a plane at Galeão International Airport, in Ilha do Governador. He is accused of attempting to divert R$22 million from a bank through a financial fraud network. Police seized a phone, a laptop, and 12 bank cards.
02/02/2025 – On Sunday (02/02), a 15-year-old girl was raped by her 21-year-old companion in Madureira, North Zone. While she was filing a complaint with her mother at the police station, she received threats from her attacker, who was located on Rua Carolina Machado, in the same neighborhood.
03/02/2025 – On Monday (03/02), a Degase (juvenile detention officer) agent was killed during a mass robbery on the Linha Amarela, near Bonsucesso, North Zone. The victim was heading to work when criminals opened fire, hitting him multiple times. The suspects stole two cars and fled towards the Maré complex.
03/02/2025 – On Monday night (03/02), on Linha Amarela near Vila do João, a woman was robbed by several criminals. Witnessing drivers turned around and drove in the opposite direction. This incident occurred less than 3 kilometers from the spot where, 15 hours earlier, a Degase officer had been killed.
03/02/2025 – On Monday (03/02), an altercation escalated between two street vendors on Barra da Tijuca beach, between Posto 4 and Posto 5, West Zone. After a dispute over customers, one vendor stabbed the other in broad daylight in front of bystanders. The victim was hospitalized, and the attacker was arrested.
04/02/2025 – On Tuesday (04/02), near the BRT Curral Falso station, in the Santa Cruz neighborhood, West Zone, seven people were injured by gunfire during an attack. According to the Military Police, initial information suggests it was a conflict between rival factions.
04/02/2025 – On Tuesday (04/02), military police officers and civil police investigators carried out an operation in Morro Santo Amaro, in the Catete neighborhood, South Zone. This favela, controlled by the Red Command (CV), is a major hub for crack sales. Drugs, rifle ammunition, and packaging materials were seized.
05/02/2025 – On Wednesday (05/02), the police launched Operation Ouro Negro against a criminal network specializing in oil theft and funded by the illegal “jogo do bicho” lottery. Led by Vinícius Drumond, son of Luizinho Drumond, former “bicho” boss and president of the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school, the gang clandestinely siphoned oil pipelines to resell the fuel. The operation also targets the financial bases of organized crime in Rio.
05/02/2025 – On Wednesday (05/02), a 17-year-old teenager was shot dead at Praça Jardim Bangu 2, in Bangu, West Zone. He was crossing the square when he was hit by gunfire from a moving car. He died at the scene.
06/02/2025 – On Thursday (06/02), the Civil Police carried out an operation against a Red Command-linked criminal network specializing in cargo and vehicle theft in the Complexo da Maré, North Zone. 74 warrants were executed across multiple states, uncovering a money laundering scheme exceeding R$18 million between 2022 and 2023. A clandestine office was used to plan thefts and resell stolen goods.
06/02/2025 – On Thursday (06/02), during a police operation in the Nova Holanda and Parque União communities, located in the Complexo da Maré, North Zone, authorities discovered an armored BMW vehicle, dubbed the “minicaveirão” by traffickers. This vehicle, modified with openings in the windows to allow the use of rifles, was used by criminals during armed confrontations. It had been reported stolen six months ago.
06/02/2025 – On Thursday (06/02), during a police operation in the Morro do Barbante community on Ilha do Governador, North Zone, a 32-year-old man, identified as one of the state’s leading cargo and luxury vehicle thieves, was fatally shot. Authorities report that he and his group operated on major expressways, including Linhas Vermelha and Amarela and sections of Avenida Brasil. A recent robbery at a transport company in Bonsucesso, where employees were terrorized, was attributed to this gang.
07/02/2025 – On Friday (07/02), Civil Police officers arrested a man identified as the leader of the Favelão community in Gardênia Azul, West Zone. He was apprehended at a hotel in Taquara alongside an accomplice and two women. Authorities seized a vehicle that was reported stolen in November 2024 in Vila Valqueire, along with two radios and a GPS signal jammer.
10/02/2025 – On Monday (10/02), Anderson da Cunha Figueiredo, 40, was shot dead in the parking lot of Bangu Shopping, in Bangu, West zone. Witnesses reported that a vehicle quickly fled the scene after the shooting. The Capital Homicide Division is investigating whether the crime was an execution. Anderson was arrested in 2018 for militia involvement.
11/02/2025 – On Tuesday (11/02), police seized 1.5 tons of marijuana hidden in a truck transporting chickens on the Presidente Dutra Highway near Irajá, North Zone. Four men were arrested, and the drugs were destined for the Mandela community in Manguinhos.
12/02/2025 – A man sentenced to 34 years in prison was arrested on Monday (12/02), in Inhaúma, North Zone. He was involved in a 2009 robbery that resulted in a young woman’s death from a gunshot. He was convicted of ten crimes.
12/02/2025 – Two women were attacked by an armed motorcyclist on Monday (12/02), on Rua Ferreira Viana, in Flamengo, North Zone. Surveillance footage shows the assailant chasing the victims on the sidewalk. One managed to escape, while the other was robbed after attempting to hide behind a car.
13/02/2025 – On Thursday (13/02), during a joint operation by the Civil and Military Police in the Complexo de Israel, North Zone, a Military Police helicopter was hit by gunfire. The aircraft, which provided aerial support to ground teams, sustained bullet perforations in the floor, pedal, and other areas. The operation aimed to capture the drug trafficker known as “Peixão,” who was believed to be hiding in the community.
14/02/2025 – A joint operation between the Military Police and the Federal Police in Rio de Janeiro resulted in the seizure of R$1 million worth of drugs on Friday (14/02). Acting on intelligence, the authorities intercepted a vehicle transporting 70.5kg of drugs from the Complexo do Alemão to Búzios. Four individuals were arrested.
14/02/2025 – Targeted by two armed criminals on a motorcycle, a police chief was attacked during an attempted robbery on Rua das Acácias, in Gávea, South Zone, on Friday night (14/02). He returned fire in response. One criminal was shot, while the other managed to escape.
15/02/2025 – Three robberies occurred on Rua Rogério Karp, in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, West Zone, within eight hours on Saturday (15/02). The first incident involved four young people who were robbed by four men on motorcycles. The robbers stole their cell phones and other belongings. Eight hours later, another robbery occurred on the same street, where a man was robbed of his necklace. Five minutes later, another man was robbed while walking with his wife.
17/02/2025 – On Monday morning (17/02), a retired military police officer was shot and killed while driving on Avenida das Américas in Barra da Tijuca, West Zone. The 58-year-old victim was approached by criminals on motorcycles who opened fire on his vehicle. The shooters fled the scene.
17/02/2025 – On Monday (17/02), Sergeant Bruno Matias Manhães, 45, was shot and killed in his car on Rua Barão de Capanema, near the Bangu shopping center, in Bangu, West Zone. The shots were concentrated on the car’s door handle, suggesting it was armored. The sergeant was assigned to the Highway Patrol Battalion (BPVE).
17/02/2025 – On Monday night (17/02), a 27-year-old man was shot and killed during a robbery in Copacabana, South Zone. The victim chased after the three men who had just stolen a friend’s motorcycle and belongings. One of the criminals shot on Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana, killing the man instantly. The criminals fled with the victim’s friend’s motorcycle.
18/02/2025 – On Tuesday (18/02), Anderson Camilo Fortunato, a former drug lord from the Pavão-Pavãozinho and Cantagalo favelas, was the victim of an attempted murder. While working as a cab driver on Rua Coelho Cintra in Copacabana, South Zone, he was hit by several bullets. The police are investigating the incident.
18/02/2025 – On Tuesday (18/02), a large-scale police operation in Rio de Janeiro led to the arrest of 37 individuals involved in an organized crime group specializing in cell phone theft and extortion. The criminal group would steal phones and then extort victims for unlock codes, using phishing techniques and threats.
18/02/2025 – On Tuesday (18/02), a sanitation worker and his 8-year-old son were hit by stray bullets during a shootout between military police and drug traffickers near the Costa Barros station, in Costa Barros, North Zone. The police reported that they were patrolling the area when they were attacked by gunfire from suspects and returned fire. An officer was injured.
19/02/2025 – A man was shot by military police within the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UniRio) campus in Urca, Rio de Janeiro, on Wednesday (19/02). Police were called to the scene in response to a report of a man assaulting his ex-partner. During the intervention, the man allegedly attempted to take a police officer’s weapon and was shot.
20/02/2025 – On Thursday (20/02), Operation Petrus by the Civil Police of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro targeted a Red Command (CV) network accused of laundering R$ 80 million from drug trafficking over two years. Four suspects were arrested in the Mandela favela, in Benfica, North Zone, where they used businesses and shops as fronts to conceal the money, and where a bunker under construction was discovered. The operation, carried out in eight states and 14 cities across Brazil, resulted in 47 arrests and the execution of over 100 search warrants.
21/02/2025 – On Friday (21/02), a suspect involved in the death of Navy doctor Gisele Mendes was shot dead by the Bope in the Complexo do Lins, in the Lins de Vasconcelos neighborhood, North Zone. A fugitive since 2021, he was considered the local drug lord. Another man, suspected of drug trafficking and theft, was arrested. Gisele Mendes was killed on 10 December 2024, by a stray bullet at the Naval Hospital Marcílio Dias.
21/02/2025 – On Friday (21/02), a resident of Complexo da Penha, North Zone, was shot, and two police officers were injured by shrapnel during Military Police operations against criminals in Penha, Juramentinho, and Juramento. Two stolen vehicles were recovered, and drugs were seized.
20/02/2025 – A 17-year-old was apprehended on Thursday (20), for setting a homeless man on fire in the Pechincha neighborhood, West Zone. The attack, which occurred on Tuesday (18), was streamed live online. The victim is hospitalized in stable condition. Police believe the attack was motivated by hate and potentially part of an online challenge. The teen is allegedly part of a neo-Nazi group and had child pornography on his phone.
21/02/2025 – An 80-year-old man was shot and assaulted after mistakenly driving into the Complexo de Israel favela in Cordovil, North Zone, on Friday (21). The man, who was following his GPS, was en route to spend Carnival with his daughter in Niterói when he was attacked by drug traffickers. Despite being shot in the foot and beaten, he was later helped by residents of the community before being treated in the hospital.
21/02/2025 – On Friday (21), a retired firefighter was caught taking inappropriate photos of a 12-year-old girl at an açaiteria on Rua Coaraci Gentil Nunes, in Guaratiba, West Zone. Images of other victims were found on his phone, leading to his arrest. He was charged with production of child pornography and transferred to a special prison unit.
22/02/2025 – A woman was taken hostage at knife point in an Itaú bank branch on Avenida Ataulfo de Paiva, in Leblon, South Zone, on Saturday morning (22). After an hour-long standoff, police freed the hostage and fatally shot the assailant.
23/02/2025 – On Sunday (23), a sports influencer was shot in the back by a retired military police officer in Penha, North Zone, after being falsely accused of robbery. The officer and the woman who made the accusation are detained, while the influencer remains hospitalized after undergoing surgery and losing a kidney. The police are investigating the incident.
24/02/2025 – A 31-year-old man was shot dead on Monday (24), on Rua da Passagem, in Rio das Pedras, West Zone. Police officers found his lifeless body and secured the area for investigation. The Civil Police are conducting inquiries to identify the perpetrator and the motive for the crime.
24/02/2025 – A woman was assaulted during an attempted robbery on Monday (24), at Aterro do Flamengo, South Zone. Five criminals tried to steal her electric bike but ended up taking items from its basket. Filmed by witnesses, the attack led the police to reinforce security in the area.
25/02/2025 – A lieutenant colonel of the Military Police was killed during a robbery attempt on Tuesday (25), in the Jardim América neighborhood, North Zone. Surveillance footage shows that he did not immediately realize the assailants’ intentions before reacting and being fatally shot. As he was leaving a store, he was approached by armed men and attempted to defend himself, but one of the criminals fired, seriously wounding him. He died while being transported to the hospital.
26/02/2025 – Rapper Oruam was arrested on Wednesday (26), at his home in Joá, West Zone, for harboring a fugitive. Police found the wanted man while executing search warrants related to a prior firearms incident. Oruam may be released after signing a statement but will face charges for aiding a fugitive.
26/02/2025 – On Wednesday (26), two Argentine tourists were shot during a robbery attempt on Barra da Tijuca Beach, West Zone. The incident occurred on Avenida Lúcio Costa, near Posto 4. They were hospitalized and underwent surgery, with both in stable condition. The tourism police are investigating to identify the suspects.
27/02/2025 – On Thursday (27), on Rua do Alho, in Penha Circular, North Zone, police dismantled a cargo theft operation and arrested eight criminals in the act. Officers discovered 27 tons of stolen beans being unloaded, along with several vehicles. During the attempted escape, one suspect got stuck between the concrete and the roof of a warehouse.
TRENDS & ADVICE
- During summer months, mass robberies and thefts in tourist spots become the most prevalent security risks in Rio de Janeiro, especially 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.
- Rio is famous for its favelas, and most are affected by the presence of gangs. Disputes for territory between rivals and police operations lead to gunfights. Therefore, these locations should never be visited.
- Shootouts may also occur outside such communities, in this case:
- lay on the ground and seek cover behind a solid object, such as the engine block.
- When it is safe to do so, find the nearest building, stay away from any windows, and do not move unless you are sure that the gunfire has ended.
- Shootouts may also occur outside such communities, in this case:
- Avoid walking alone in poorly lit areas or beaches after nightfall. Avoid walking/biking through tunnels.
- As sexual aggressions are on the rise, women should pay special attention to the environments where they go to, avoid empty and dark places.
- During a night out, never accept offers (food and beverage) from strangers, as they can put some drugs on it.
- Men and women alike are targets of such crimes.
- Be always cautious, even in the areas considered safe such as Downtown, Botafogo, Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, and Barra da Tijuca.
- Exercise caution in the Centro (downtown) during the day and avoid the area after nightfall and during the weekends, as it is relatively deserted during such periods.
- Be careful when using the GPS as they may lead you to unsafe areas controlled by organized crime.
- Remain on the main streets and roads and avoid the rush hours.
- Prefer cooperative taxis instead of driving yourself or using a ride-sharing App.
- Stay away from any protests that normally occur in Av. Presidente Vargas, Av. Rio Branco, Praça da Cinelândia, and Av. Atlântica.
- Attention to scams that may reach you through a WhatsApp message, e-mail, SMS, or a call.
- Keep in mind useful numbers: Emergency police number (190), and Rio de Janeiro tourist Police. Phone: (21) 2332-7949
