The rates of robbery and theft increased in September 2024 in the State of Rio, compared to the same month in 2023, according to data from the Institute of Public Security (ISP) released on Monday (21/10). Vehicle theft showed one of the highest growths, rising 81.4%, reaching an average of one hundred occurrences per day. Cargo theft rose 92.1%. In the opposite direction, intentional homicides had a reduction of 22.3% in September in the state, compared to the same month last year. In the first nine months of 2024, there were 2,140 deaths, a reduction of 13.8% and the lowest number of victims since the beginning of the time series, in 1991.
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01/10/2024 – The Civil Police is investigating the death of a 34-year-old woman, found with signs of strangulation in a house in Cachambi (North Zone), on Tuesday (1). The victim had been missing since Sunday (29). The place where the body was located was rented by a man with whom she had a relationship.
02/10/2024 – Two men tried to steal a car, in the early hours of Wednesday (2), on Rua Visconde de Niterói, in Benfica (North Zone). According to the PM, the pair even exchanged fire with the agents. After the confrontation, one of the bandits was arrested and the other fled.
02/10/2024 – A man sexually harassed a passenger inside the train at the Olympic station of Engenho de Dentro (North Zone), on the morning of Wednesday (2). According to witnesses, angry passengers assaulted the harasser and held him to prevent the escape, before activating SuperVia security guards.
02/10/2024 – The president of the football team Corinthians was the victim of an attempted robbery on Wednesday morning (2), in Copacabana. Augusto Melo was walking with a group of friends when two men on a motorcycle tried to snatch the chain from one of the security guards. The chain was recovered, but the bandits fled.
04/10/2024 – Military police officers from the 4th BPM interrupted an attempted robbery on Heitor Carrilho Street, in Cidade Nova, on the morning of Friday (4). The man was armed and there was an exchange of fire with the agents. In the gunfight, the criminal was hit and died on the spot, and at least two police officers were shot.
04/10/2024 – A military police officer was shot on Friday during a confrontation with criminals in the Gardênia Azul community, in the West Zone of Rio. Teams from the 18th BPM (Jacarepaguá) were in the community for an incident in the area known as Favelão, when they were attacked with gunfire.
06/10/2024 – Criminals burglarized a church in Rio Central area and stole a relic of Saint Benedict, with a bone fragment. The relic belongs to the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Benedict of the Black Men. The suspicion is that criminals entered the place during a party held over the weekend, in honor of the saint. Nobody was arrested.
06/10/2024 – A woman was arrested for attempted kidnapping and resisting arrest on Sunday (10/06) in Guadalupe, in the North Zone of Rio. Isabela Amorim Fonseca Osório, 34, was detained by military police officers from the 41st BPM (Irajá) after trying to flee at high speed on Rua Nova Trento, in the direction of Avenida Brasil. The mother of a child pointed her out and said that Isabela tried to kidnap her daughter.
07/10/2024 – A former military police officer was killed on Monday morning (07/10) after going for a walk with his dogs on Rua Formosa, in Jardim Guanabara, Ilha do Governador. A car stopped in front of the former police officer André da Silva Aleixo and shot at him. Aleixo was currently known as a sort of manager of the crime scene on Ilha do Governador and in São Gonçalo, in the Metropolitan Region of Rio. He would be involved with the “Jogo do Bicho” and other illegal activities.
07/10/2024 – One man stole a gold chain from Junior, a famous Brazilian football player. The robbery committed against the former player took place on Monday (07/10) morning near Praça do Ó, on Avenida Lúcio Costa, Barra da Tijuca, in the West Zone. The suspect was later arrested.
07/10/2024 – Five drug traffickers were arrested on Monday night (07/10) in Bangu, in the West Zone of Rio, dressed in camouflage clothing and, according to the police, were planning to invade the Catiri Community, a region controlled by militiamen.
08/09/2024 – A 17-year-old teen was shot dead while fixing his bike inside a shop in Santa Cruz neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro West Zone. It appears that the boy was the victim of a stray bullet. He was shot at the same moment when two men were killed during an intense shootout in the region.
08/10/2024 – The Military Police carried out, on Tuesday morning (08/10), an operation in Morro do Juramento, in Vicente de Carvalho, in the North Zone. At least three suspects were arrested, an AR-10 model rifle, a 9mm caliber pistol, and two grenades were seized.
08/10/2024 – Three armed men robbed a department store in a shopping mall in Pechincha, Jacarepaguá, late Tuesday morning (08/10). No one was arrested. The police said criminals fled the scene in a car and a motorcycle. According to reports, they wore uniforms connected to the City Hall administration as a disguise.
09/10/2024 – Criminals attempted to rob bus passengers and exchanged shots with the police on Wednesday (09/10) morning on Avenida Brasil, near Irajá, in the North Zone of Rio. Two suspects were injured. A weapon and items that had been stolen from passengers were seized from the pair. The bus, owned by Viação Tinguá, was traveling from Rio to Baixada Fluminense. The suspects announced the robbery near Linha Amarela. The driver managed to call for help from a patrol car on Avenida Brasil. The police surrounded the bus and managed to stop it.
09/10/2024 – An intense shooting took place in Vigário Geral and Parada de Lucas, in the North Zone of Rio, early this Thursday morning. The operation targeted parts of the large community known as Complexo de Israel, which is controlled by the Pure Third Command (TCP). The Civil Police are carrying out Operation Exodus, which aims to serve 15 arrest warrants and eight search and seizure warrants in the complex. There is still no information on arrests or seizures. One of the points where shots were recorded in Vigário Geral was near the Linha Vermelha. Earlier, train circulation was impacted and is now in the process of returning to normal, says Supervia.
11/10/2024 – A 19-year-old man was arrested after being caught transporting drugs on a motorcycle. He was intercepted by police officers from Segurança Presente between São Salvador and Ipiranga streets, in Laranjeiras, South Zone.
11/10/2024 – The Civil Police found two cars filled with explosives on Avenida João XXIII, in Santa Cruz, in the West Zone of Rio. The vehicles were near three schools and an Emergency Care Unit (UPA). According to the police, the material would be used in a counterattack by the militia after the murder of a criminal by a rival group. Artifacts for exclusive use by the Armed Forces, homemade grenades, and military grenades were seized as well as weapons and ammunition.
12/10/2024 – An app driver was shot and killed after a robbery on Coruripe Street in Marechal Hermes, in Rio’s North Zone. According to the police, he was with a passenger in his car when he was approached by Rogel Tomé da Silva, who shot and killed the driver. The criminal was arrested.
13/10/2024 – The Civil Police arrested a gang of Colombians on Sunday (13/10) suspected of breaking into buildings and houses on Ilha do Governador. According to the investigation, they used wigs and fake mustaches as disguises to commit crimes. According to the investigation, they acted in an organized manner: they monitored the houses to confirm that they were empty before breaking into them. The group mainly stole high-value items such as jewelry, watches, laptops, and money.
13/10/2024 – Agents from the Lei Seca (Dry Law Enforcement Act) and the Olaria Battalion seized marijuana and cocaine in the early hours of Sunday (13/10) during an operation in Penha, North Zone. The police stopped a car and a motorcycle that tried to escape from the agents. The driver said she did not know what was in the boxes and that she received R$200 to transport them from São Cristóvão to Penha.
14/10/2024 – Passengers on the Supervia train had to take cover from a shootout between the Manguinhos and Triagem stations on Monday morning (14/10). The Military Police reported that officers were shot at during a patrol in the Manguinhos community. The police presence was reinforced and there were no reports of injuries.
14/10/2024 – A drug trafficking boss in the Santa Maria community, in Taquara, West Zone of Rio, was arrested on Monday (14/10) by the Civil Police. He was attending a party when he was approached by officers. The suspect was driving a stolen Mercedes Benz, with a tampered license plate and chassis.
14/09/2024 – The Federal Police arrested two passengers at Galeão Airport on Monday night (14/10) who were trying to board a flight to Paris with cocaine. The police believe they did not know each other. The arrested are a 28-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man both from Rio Grande do Sul. They were carrying the drugs in a false bottom of their checked luggage and strapped to their bodies.
15/10/2024 – A criminal died in Vila Isabel, North Zone of Rio, on Tuesday (15/10) after exchanging gunfire with military police officers. According to the police, he had stolen a car and did not respect the officers’ order to stop during the police approach. A pistol was seized from him.
16/09/2024 – Police officers from Segurança Presente managed to recover the car of singer Xamã, which had been stolen moments before, on Wednesday afternoon (16/10). The vehicle, a red Lamborghini Urus, was recovered in Quinta da Boa Vista, North Zone of Rio. The vehicle was with a security guard when it was approached by criminals. According to the police, when he noticed the agents moving, the suspect abandoned the car and fled on a motorcycle.
17/10/2024 – A 42-year-old military police officer was murdered with rifle shots on Thursday night (17/10) on Avenida Santa Cruz, in Realengo, in the West Zone. 3rd Sergeant Marcelo Rodrigo Aguiar de Queiroz was inside an armored car when he was targeted by the killers. The car was hit by more than 30 shots and therefore, the car’s armor could not withstand the attack.
18/10/2024 – A shooting on Avenida Brasil, on Friday morning (18/10), blocked traffic in both directions of the road during a police chase near Irajá, North Zone of Rio. At least two criminals were arrested by police around 7:20 am. At the same time, civil police were searching for other suspects.
18/10/2024 – At least 15 people were robbed on Friday morning (18/10), when three armed bandits invaded a bus near the Nova América Shopping Mall, in Del Castilho, North Zone. According to a witness, a criminal even fired shots from inside the bus. One of the victims said that the bus on the Sulacap x Castelo line when around 5:40 am when a passenger entered Del Castilho, a criminal also entered and announced the robbery.
18/10/2024 – Chef, TV presenter, and businessman Jimmy Ogro, used social media to say that he was robbed in the early hours of Friday (18/10). He said that four armed bandits surrendered the car in which he was with his wife. The criminals took the car and the equipment that was inside.
18/10/2024 – A police officer was shot in the head and leg while approaching three men on Fonseca Teles Street in São Cristóvão, North Zone. In security camera footage, the police officer is seen exchanging gunfire with the suspects. The crime occurred while the police were patrolling the road. The suspects were speeding in the wrong direction and the police ordered them to stop, the criminals disobeyed, shot at the police, and fled.
19/10/2024 – A major of the Military Police assaulted the woman, on Saturday (19/10), after suspicion of cheating, in Bangu, West Zone. The woman was accompanied by a man on Rua da Feira when the police arrived. According to witnesses, the military would have broken part of the man’s vehicle.
20/10/2024 – Two criminals, aged 53 and 41, tried to break into a luxury condominium on Rua Deodato de Moraes, in Jardim Oceânico, West Zone, on Sunday night (20/10). They were arrested by the Civil Police. Along with the bandits, the police seized a stolen car, three pistols, ammunition, a balaclava, and plastic cable ties, which were used to arrest residents. The criminals had been on the run since they were released from prison in 2021.
21/10/2024 – Reports on social networks point out that there was a shootout in Muzema (West Zone), during the early hours of Monday (21/10), between drug traffickers and militiamen. The Military Police even intensified policing in the region, with teams from the 31st BPM (Recreio dos Bandeirantes) and BOPE. The insecurity affected the operation of seven bus lines that passed through Estrada do Itanhangá, changing the route of 190 collectives.
21/10/2024 – Agents of the UPP Mangueira, North Zone reacted to shots fired at a car on Visconde de Niterói Street, on Monday afternoon (21/10). According to the Military Police, a car passed by shooting at the police, and headed towards the community of Mangueira. A police officer was injured.
23/10/2024 – Dozens of Peñarol (a football club from Uruguay) fans caused a barbarism this Wednesday (23/10) on the edge of Recreio dos Bandeirantes, West Zone. According to the Military Police, the confusion began around noon, after one of the fans stole a cell phone from a man inside a bakery. Officials said the group would be escorted out of the state and would not watch the night’s match. At least 200 Uruguayans were detained. A gun was seized.
23/10/2024 – A military police officer was caught holding his partner in a private prison on Wednesday (23/10), in the Piedade neighborhood, North Zone. During the approach, the civil police officers found a large quantity of various drugs with him. The agents then went to a drug depot that, according to the police, was associated with the police officer.
24/10/2024 – A man died, and five others were injured, during a shootout between criminals and military police on Thursday morning (24) in Complexo de Israel, in Cidade Alta, North Zone. The action blocked Avenida Brasil for about two hours and impacted the circulation of trains and bus lines. According to the PM, the operation ended ahead of schedule due to the strong resistance of the criminals.
25/10/2024 – A school employee was killed in an attempted robbery in the parking lot of the teaching unit on Rua Araguaia, in the Freguesia neighborhood, West Zone, on Friday morning (25/10). According to police information, the bandits tried to steal two cars from the place and shoot the employee at close range.
26/10/2024 – On Saturday (26/10), a 21-year-old woman was admitted to the Lourenço Jorge Hospital, in Barra da Tijuca (West Zone), dead and with signs of beating. According to the State Secretariat of Military Police, the woman would have been assaulted by her partner. The suspect was arrested on Sunday (27/10).
27/10/2024 – An elderly couple was found dead in their house, on Rua Amanda Guimarães, in the Portuguesa neighborhood, Ilha do Governador (North Zone), on Sunday (27/10). The bodies had stab marks and were tied up. The Civil Police were called to carry out an investigation.
27/10/2024 – A 22-year-old man was shot dead on Sunday morning (27/10), on Avenida Gilka Machado, in Recreio dos Bandeirantes (West Zone). The Military Police arrested the suspect near the scene of the murder.
27/10/2024 – An intense shootout between criminals frightened residents of the Sertão community, between Anil and Rio das Pedras, during the early hours of Sunday (27/10), in Jacarepaguá (West Zone). According to the Military Police, two people were hit when they were arriving home, on Estrada dos Três Rios.
28/10/2024 – A suspect was run over on Monday morning (28/10) while crossing the central lane of Av. Brasil, near the Stop Time hotel, close to Benfica (North Zone). According to the police, the man had just stolen a cell phone and was trying to flee when he was hit by a bus that was in the BRT Transbrasil.
28/10/2024 – Drivers were surprised by an attempted mass robbery and exchange gunfire between police and criminals, on Sunday night (28/10) at the exit of the Washington Luiz highway to Avenida Brasil, at the height of Cidade Alta, North Zone. According to reports, traffickers from the Complexo de Israel tried to carry out a mass robbery to steal vehicles. The situation intensified with the arrival of a Military Police patrol, resulting in an exchange of fire. The suspects fled.
28/10/2024 – Security cameras of a building caught an assault on residents on Rua General Glicério, in Laranjeiras (South Zone), on Monday (28/10). In the images, four armed criminals arrive on two motorcycles and steal two cars. In addition to the vehicles, the robbers stole cell phones and personal belongings. No one was arrested.
30/10/2024 – An intense shootout in Muzema, in the West Zone, caused the death of a suspect and the arrest of five others on Wednesday morning (30/10). In the action, six rifles, two pistols, magazines, and ammunition were seized. According to the Military Police, Special Forces teams were patrolling in a forest area of the community when they were attacked by gunfire and there was a confrontation.
30/10/2024 – A criminal was shot during an attempted robbery of a truck in the early hours of Wednesday (30/10) on Avenida Brasil, near Cordovil, North Zone. According to the Military Police, teams from the Expressway Policing Battalion (BPVE) were activated to prevent cargo theft in the region. At the scene, the man threatened the victim from the cabin and shot at the agents, generating a confrontation. In the action, the driver, who was being taken hostage, was also injured.
30/10/2024 – A bandit died on Wednesday night (30/10), after trying to rob an off-duty military police officer on Cordovil Street, near the Parque Retiro das Rosas condominium, in Parada de Lucas, North Zone. When he approached, the agent reacted. With the bandit, the PM reported that a stolen motorcycle was recovered.
31/10/2024 – A 34-year-old pharmacy cashier was killed by robbers on Wednesday night (31/10), on Rua da Chegada, in Terreirão, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, West Zone. According to preliminary information, he was working when the bandits entered the store. He would have reacted to the robbery and was shot by the criminals.
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.
