The city of São Paulo recorded 963 wedding ring robberies in the first quarter of 2026, averaging 11 cases per day. According to Public Security data, this represents a 7% increase over 2025 and a massive 86% jump compared to the same period in 2024. Experts attribute this rise to the surging global value of gold, making these rings highly attractive to criminals. Police state they have intensified patrols, even as overall robbery rates in the capital have reportedly declined.
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01/05/2026 – On Friday (1st), two criminals on a motorcycle robbed two families in succession on Paraibuna Street in Vila Prudente, East São Paulo. After robbing a man and his son, they targeted a second car carrying a lawyer and his family. The intervention of an armed motorcyclist sparked a shootout; the lawyer then rammed the assailants with his car in self-defense. The perpetrators fled on foot, leaving their motorcycle trapped under the vehicle, while the lawyer’s wife sustained minor injuries from shattered glass.
02/05/2026 – On Saturday (2), a 51-year-old man was caught in the act and arrested for stealing metallic structures from the Line 17-Gold construction site on Pedro Bueno Avenue in the Vila Paulista neighborhood, South Zone. The suspect, who has an extensive criminal record (30 legal proceedings and 17 investigations), tried to flee through the monorail construction access points before being captured by the 12th BPM/M. These thefts of materials and cables have been identified as the main cause of the four service disruptions recorded since the line’s inauguration on March 31.
04/05/2026 – On Monday (4), a first-quarter report revealed an alarming situation in São Paulo State: femicides surged by 41% compared to 2025, with one woman killed every 25 hours. The state’s interior saw the sharpest rise (+76.5%), while physical assaults and statutory rapes also increased. Meanwhile, police lethality rose by 8%, reaching 176 deaths. Public Security officials claim to be strengthening protection through the “SP Mulher Segura” app and the deployment of 15,000 body cams to monitor police actions.
04/05/2026 – On Monday (4), São Paulo Civil Police arrested the fifth and final suspect involved in the gang rape of two boys (aged 7 and 10) that occurred on April 21 in the city’s East Zone. The suspect is a 15-year-old minor located in the Ermelino Matarazzo neighborhood. In total, four minors have been sent to juvenile detention (Fundação Casa), and a 21-year-old man, arrested in Bahia after confessing to the crime, is awaiting transfer to São Paulo. The perpetrators, who were neighbors of the victims, lured them with an invitation to fly kites before filming the abuse and spreading the videos on social media.
04/05/2026 – On Monday (4), an operation by Rota and Força Tática units resulted in the death of a 20-year-old passenger and the arrest of a driver in Cidade Ademar, South Zone. Following a car chase, officers discharged their weapons, striking the passenger four times. According to the police report, a 9mm pistol was seized inside the car, and over 2,300 drug doses were found in the vehicle. The defense challenges the circumstances of the shooting.
04/05/2026 – On Monday (4), the Military Police dismantled a drug storage and preparation hub in the Paraisópolis favela, South Zone. The operation, involving 50 officers supported by drones, resulted in the seizure of cocaine and skank ready for sale, as well as the capture of a wanted fugitive. This action follows heightened tensions and recent media reports detailing the PCC’s unprecedented territorial control over the community, including the installation of physical roadblocks (iron bars and concrete) and the operation of “crime tribunals”.
05/05/2026 – In the early hours of Tuesday (05), a chase ended with an exchange of gunfire between police and suspects, in Americanópolis, in the South Zone of São Paulo. According to ROTA police officers, two suspects fled the approach and this would have started the chase. One suspect was arrested and the other killed. According to police information, upon checking the vehicle, officers found 2,300 portions of marijuana, cocaine, crack, and ether. The suspects’ lawyer disputes the police version and maintains that his clients were not armed. The internal affairs department is investigating the case.
