Between January and November 2025, the city of São Paulo recorded an average of 46 cell phone thefts or robberies per day within the public transport system, totaling over 15,000 cases. Data from the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP) indicates that 94% of these incidents occurred in the metro and train systems, with the Luz and Barra Funda stations identified as the primary hot spots. While 89% of the crimes were non-violent thefts, the SSP highlighted a general downward trend in overall mobile crimes across the state, noting that over 80,000 devices have been recovered since 2023.
This Content Is Only For Subscribers
To unlock this content, subscribe to INTERLIRA Reports.
03/01/2026 – On Saturday (3), on Vieira de Morais Street, in the Campo Belo neighborhood, South Zone, a man was arrested and three teenagers were apprehended after burglarizing a penthouse apartment. Police caught the teenagers attempting to escape via the building’s elevator, recovering a stolen Porsche Panamera key they had discarded in the service stairs. The group was using a cloned car stolen from another building in Tatuapé on December 21.
03/01/2026 – On Saturday (3), on Tapes Street in the Liberdade neighborhood, a 39-year-old kitchen assistant was fatally stabbed by her ex-boyfriend. Despite an active protective order from a 2025 assault case, the attacker ambushed her on the street and inflicted five wounds; she died the following morning at a hospital. The suspect was arrested 12 hours later and charged with femicide and violating a protective order, while his brother was detained for aiding his escape.
04/01/2026 – On Sunday (4), on Inajar de Souza Avenue in the Jardim Peri neighborhood, 27-year-old military police officer Lucas Lopes Bernardo died after being intentionally struck by motorcyclists during a traffic stop. Security footage shows four motorcycles speeding past a partial roadblock; as the officer attempted to intercept them, he was hit by the second vehicle and subsequently run over by the others. The suspects fled the scene without providing aid, and the case is currently being investigated as a homicide.
05/01/2026 – On Monday (5), on Reverendo Carlos Wesly Street in the Brasilândia neighborhood, North Zone, a 21-year-old driver was shot in the head and killed during a traffic dispute. The victim was inside his car when an off-duty military police officer fired the fatal shot; he was rushed to Vila Nova Cachoeirinha General Hospital but did not survive. Shortly after the incident, the 37-year-old officer surrendered to authorities, was arrested in flagrante.
05/01/2026 – On Monday (5), the owner of a liquor store in Cidade Tiradentes, East São Paulo, was arrested for illegal electricity connections and the irregular storage of fireworks. The establishment is currently under investigation following the death of Soffia Del Valle Torrealba Ramos, a 15-year-old Venezuelan girl, who died on Saturday (3), after consuming gin allegedly purchased at the shop. While forensic experts analyze seized bottles for toxic methanol contamination, medical records suggest the victim suffered from methanol poisoning and renal failure.
06/01/2026 – On Tuesday afternoon (6), Military Police arrested two men on Rua Aurora in Santa Ifigênia, central São Paulo, for posing as civil police officers to extort local shopkeepers. The suspects were intercepted just 300 meters from the 3rd Police District after reports surfaced that they were demanding bribes and intimidating business owners. During the search, officers seized R$ 19,000 in cash (partially counterfeit), a 9mm pistol, a fake police badge, and mobile phones. Neither suspect has any link to security forces, and the case has been referred to Federal Police for further investigation into the origin of the weapon and badge.
06/01/2026 – On Tuesday afternoon (6), a 51-year-old systems analyst was kidnapped from the parking lot of the Giga Atacado supermarket on Avenida das Nações Unidas, in the Santo Amaro district, South São Paulo. After being forced into a vehicle by three armed men, the victim was held captive as the suspects attempted to perform unauthorized PIX transfers via her phone. During a high-speed pursuit by the Military Police, the criminals pushed the woman out of the moving car on the Anhanguera Highway in Osasco to facilitate their escape. She suffered a head injury during the fall but was assisted by passersby; the suspects’ vehicle was later found abandoned, though they remain at large.
06/01/2026 – On Tuesday (6), a forklift operator at the Guarulhos International Airport cargo terminal was arrested for his involvement in stealing high-value electronic shipments. As part of “Operation Check-In III” led by a Civil Police specialized unit, the suspect is accused of facilitating the theft of at least three loads of screens and mobile phones, with total losses estimated at R$ 3 million. The investigation, which is a continuation of an offensive launched in late 2025, aims to identify other members of the criminal group operating within South America’s busiest airport.
07/01/2026 – On Wednesday (7), Civil Police arrested six members of the PCC in the “Operation Parallel Order” for using a WhatsApp group to coordinate punishments. Operating in São Paulo’s East Zone, these individuals acted as “disciplines”, enforcing internal gang rules and social conduct within local communities. Investigations, which began in 2023 and accelerated after a phone seizure, revealed discussions regarding threats, physical assaults, and social control. During the raids, police also seized a firearm with a tampered serial number, vehicles plates, and evidence linking one fugitive to a kidnapping and extortion case from December 2025.
07/01/2026 – On Wednesday night (7), a series of robberies near Burle Marx Park in Vila Andrade, South São Paulo, ended in a shootout that left a 16-year-old suspect wounded. An off-duty prison officer witnessed two individuals on a motorcycle robbing drivers in traffic and intervened, leading to an exchange of 11 gunshots. While two vehicles were struck by bullets, no bystanders or victims were injured; the teenager was apprehended with a revolver and stolen phones, while his accomplice fled the scene.
07/01/2026 – On Wednesday (7), 40-year-old mechanical engineer Felipe Afonso Araújo was found shot to death inside his car in Cidade Tiradentes, East São Paulo. The vehicle was struck by six bullets, yet investigators noted that no personal belongings were stolen, leading the DHPP to investigate whether he was lured to the location via a “love scam” on a dating app.
08/01/2026 – In the early hours of Thursday (8), criminals vandalized four Smart Sampa surveillance poles along Avenida Giovanni Gronchi in the Vila Andrade neighborhood, South Zone by sawing through their bases to steal the equipment. This monitoring system uses facial recognition to identify fugitives and has already aided in 3,650 arrests. Local authorities view the avenue as a major escape route for criminals, while the mayor recently announced plans to double the city’s investment in the program to reach 80,000 cameras.
