In the first quarter of 2025, São Paulo state saw a 68% rise in thefts and robberies of rings and wedding bands compared to 2024, totaling 1,981 reported cases. On average, 22 rings are stolen daily, mostly in public areas. São Paulo city alone accounts for 56% of these crimes. The surge is linked to record gold prices, reaching US$ 3,500 per ounce.
Rape cases in Greater São Paulo increased by 28% in the first quarter of 2025, rising from 641 to 822 incidents compared to the same period in 2024, according to the São Paulo Public Security Secretariat. In the city of São Paulo alone, cases rose 15%, while the overall increase across the state was 13%, totaling 3,862 rapes, including 815 in the capital. Vulnerable victims represented 76% of all cases. Experts link the rise to improved reporting rather than a surge in actual incidents.
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26/05/2025 – A 34-year-old woman was shot in the face with a pellet gun while at a bar in Tatuapé, East Zone, in the early hours of Sunday (26/05). According to the victim, the shot came from a nearby building. Police are investigating and searching for witnesses and footage to identify the shooter. The victim reported that the bar had been targeted before, and residents acknowledged prior noise complaints.
29/05/2025 – On Thursday (29/05), three criminals broke into a house in Campo Belo, South Zone, and held two people hostages while stealing money and personal belongings. The property belongs to a retired judge who was not home at the time; the hostages were his son and niece.
30/05/2025 – On Friday morning (30/05), a 74-year-old man set himself on fire at São Bento station on São Paulo’s Metro Line 1-Blue, downtown. Reportedly homeless, he poured and may have ingested a flammable liquid before igniting himself. Metro staff responded quickly, using extinguishers to put out the flames approximately 20 seconds later.
30/05/2025 – A 28-year-old man was shot in the chest during a robbery on the evening of Friday (30/05), in the Ipiranga neighborhood, South Zone. According to police, he was walking hand in hand with his boyfriend when two men on a motorcycle approached and demanded his ring. Surveillance footage captured the moment he allegedly resisted, prompting one suspect to fire a shot before both fled.
31/05/2025 – On Saturday (31/05), a 52-year-old Italian man was arrested on suspicion of keeping his 31-year-old partner in captivity for at least three months in Campo Belo, a wealthy neighborhood in São Paulo’s South Zone. According to the police, the victim was found injured and bleeding in an upstairs bedroom. She reported being drugged, beaten, and raped during her confinement. The case came to light after a friend sent photos and videos of the victim to the authorities. The suspect tried to flee but was subdued.
01/06/2025 – A 45-year-old motorcyclist was shot and killed on Sunday (01/06), at a gas station on Estrada Turística do Jaraguá, in the northern zone of São Paulo. He had been chased by two criminals on a motorcycle after one of them pointed a gun at the couple on Rodovia Anhanguera and fired shots. The victim sought refuge at the gas station but was shot while attempting to pursue the assailants on foot. The attackers fled without taking the motorcycle.
02/06/2025 – On Monday night (02/06), two municipal guards were shot while confronting three suspects attempting to break into a house in Morumbi, an upscale neighborhood in South São Paulo. The homeowner alerted the authorities after hearing noise from the electric fence. Upon arrival, the guards spotted the suspects and their vehicle outside the residence on Praça Vitória Régia. The assailants opened fire and fled.
04/06/2025 – On Wednesday (04/06), a 57-year-old engineer was shot dead in his home during a robbery in Vila Nova Conceição, an upscale neighborhood in South São Paulo. Four criminals allegedly cloned the gate remote to enter the house and stole jewelry and watches. The victim, Francisco Paulo de Sebe Filippo, offered no resistance, according to police. The suspects fled in a car, which they later abandoned after crashing it into a tree.
04/06/2025 – On Wednesday (04/06), a man held his wife hostage for over four hours in their home in Butantã, West Zone, threatening her with a knife. The standoff began after a family dispute, and the suspect appeared to be under the influence of a substance. Military police from the Special Tactical Actions Group (GATE) intervened after failed negotiations. They used a targeted explosive to subdue the suspect when he was briefly separated from the victim. No one was injured, and the man was arrested.
04/06/2025 – On Wednesday (04/06), Corinthians football player Cacá was robbed at gunpoint while driving in the Tatuapé neighborhood, East Zone. Two armed men stole his phone as he was heading to a training session. The incident took place amid a 25% rise in robberies in the area between January and April 2025 compared to the same period last year, with 466 cases recorded by the 30th Police Precinct. The number of thefts also rose by nearly 24% in the same timeframe.
