Criminals operate freely on Avenida Presidente Vargas, one of the busiest in downtown Rio. The thefts happen in broad daylight and they attack near signs and bus stops. They take advantage of itwhile the traffic is stopped and when the cars start moving, they jump in the windows and take the cell phone from the passengers’ hands.Data from the Public Security Institute (ISP) translate the situation into numbers. Last year (2021), from January to August, 638 cell phone thefts were recorded in the Central area. This year (2022), in the same period, there were 2,274. An increase of more than 250%.
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07/10/2022 – Employees at a supermarket in Oswaldo Cruz, North Zone, were robbed by a group of heavily armed criminals. According to a supermarket employee, a specific point drew attention to the robbery: the criminals did not look for a safe or cash, but for drinks. The group fled the scene with approximately R$3,000 worth of whiskey and the surrendered employees’ belongings.
07/10/2022 – A family had their car stolen in Madureira, North Zone. Security cameras filmed the crime, in the images it is possible to see that after the victim parked the car, a vehicle with four criminals stopped beside it. Three of them disembark and run towards a woman. As soon as she is approached, the woman starts trying to get the kids out of the car. She first tries to open the door on the right side of the vehicle but fails. While one of the robbers takes the direction of the vehicle, another tries to open the same back door, but also fails. One of the children manages to leave the car through the passenger seat. The woman then manages to open the back door and take the other child out of the vehicle, 30 seconds after the approach. With the child in her arms, the woman runs in the opposite direction of the criminals. The entire action lasted less than a minute.
09/10/2022 – A shooting between criminals and police officers in Rio Comprido, North Zone, ended with one criminal dead and another arrested.According to the Military Police, around 6:00 in the morning, UPP Prazeres/Escondidinho officers were shot close to the community. During the action, a rifle, a magazine, ammunition, two radio transmitters and a cloned vehicle were seized.
Our recommendations:
There is always an expressive risk of shooting in most police operations. Before leaving home or work, people in the area must also check if shootouts or mass robberies have been reported in the past few hours to avoid getting caught in the middle of a dangerous situation. Stray bullets are a real threat in Rio de Janeiro, and the proper security protocols must be followed to guarantee personnel safety like: seeking shelter in nearby buildings; laying down on the floor near robust obstacles; staying away from doors and windows; and giving extra protection to children.
10/10/2022 – Tijuca police officers arrested a taxi driver accused of driving for criminals during robberies carried out in the Tijuca neighborhood, North Zone. According to the civil police, he was found at home moments after one of the robberies in which he would have acted as a driver for the criminals. The taxi driver confessed to participating in the crimes and claimed to be under the influence of drugs.
11/10/2022 – Police from the Harmonia Battalion arrested a man who had just stolen a cell phone and was threatening the victim with a knife, in Campo de Santana, downtown. The robber wore an electronic anklet.
11/10/2022 – The Civil Police carried out an operation against a gang accused of having carried out a R$7.8 million scam in the company Manchester Distribuidora de Ferro e Aço, located in Baixada Fluminense. According to the investigations of the Imbariê Police Station, the group faked machines purchase and managed to get the company’s financial department to pay for the purchase. There is suspicion of involvement of a company employee in the scheme. According to the police, several deposits were made in the group’s bosses private accounts. Fifteen people were denounced by the state Public Ministry for crimes of scam and criminal association.
11/10/2022 – Two military police officers were administratively arrested after a criminal, who had been hospitalized for about a month for being shot in a shooting, fled in handcuffs from the Getúlio Vargas State Hospital, in Penha, in the North Zone. He managed to get down from one of the floors of the medical unit using a rope. At least four military police officers from the Olaria Battalion were at the scene and did not realize that the suspect had disappeared. The two officers who were assigned to watch the criminal said that he asked to go to the bathroom and disappeared without being noticed.
12/10/2022 – Singer Gabriel Florência, known as Biel do Furduncinho, denounced a shooting attack against his team’s van in Honório Gurgel, in the North Zone. The singer was arriving at the place that is used as a meeting point for the team, after performing at a nightclub in Barra da Tijuca, in the West Zone. According to him, there were more than ten shots in the van where the team was being transported. There was no one inside the vehicle. Biel said the shooter was intoxicated and that he complained about the van’s headlights and then started shooting at the vehicle.
13/10/2022 – The Specialized Weapons, Ammunition and Explosives Police Station (Desarme) and the Federal Highway Police (PRF) began an operation to fulfill four preventive arrest warrants against gun traffickers. A woman was arrested. The officers also served five search and seizure warrants at addresses linked to a couple of businessmen who lived in Barra da Tijuca, in the West Zone. According to investigations, they were responsible for a shipment of rifle and pistol seized in February.
13/10/2022 – Two Italian tourists were shot inside a car by criminals when they mistakenly entered Complexo da Maré, in the North Zone. They were returning to São Paulo after a party at Marina da Glória when they took the wrong path and stopped at Favela da Maré, where they ended up being shot at.
Our recommendations:
GPS apps are good, but most of them don’t have marks against risk areas like communities. That’s why the ideal is to always plan the trips so you don’t have to go through situations like the one reported above. When in doubt, always prefer the itineraries you already know and to remain on the main streets, avoid the secondary ones. And if you notice that you have entered a favela with a vehicle, turn off the headlights, turn on the interior light, open all the windows and turn the vehicle slowly without stopping and without sudden movements.
