Between 2 August and 11 September, Rua Joaquim Antunes in Pinheiros, West zone, saw four armed robberies carried out by motorcyclists targeting pedestrians. In the latest case, on 11 September, one victim fainted during the assault. The same street was also the site of a January 23 killing, when 23-year-old Vitor Rocha e Silva was shot dead after resisting a robbery. Despite authorities citing a drop in local robbery rates, residents report growing insecurity.
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12/09/2025 – On Friday morning (12/09), a man was shot dead by a Military Police officer while attempting to rob two women in a car at a traffic light on Estrada de Itapecerica, Jardim Monte Azul, South São Paulo. The suspect, armed and riding a stolen motorcycle with fake plates, demanded the victims’ rings before being confronted by the officer, who opened fire when the assailant resisted. The man died at the scene, and the case was recorded as death from police intervention, attempted robbery, and vehicle tampering.
12/09/2025 – On Friday (12/09), the Federal Police arrested eight people in São Paulo while they attempted to hack into Caixa Econômica Federal’s PIX system using a stolen workstation from a branch in Brás. The group, aged between 22 and 46, was caught in the act and had their arrests converted into preventive detention. Investigators link them to two other major cyberattacks: one in June against BMP, with losses of R$ 800 million, and another against a PIX technology platform, causing R$ 400 million in damages. Together, the frauds amount to R$ 1.2 billion. The Federal Police continue to investigate other possible accomplices, including insiders at financial institutions.
15/09/2025 – On Monday (15/09), police arrested a man in the Vila Prudente neighborhood, East Zone, suspected of involvement in the death of Argentine tourist Alejandro Mario Ainsworth, 54, whose body was found on 12 September in Rio’s West Zone. Security cameras showed him with Ainsworth leaving a nightclub in Copacabana on 8 September and later using the victim’s bank card. Investigators suspect a “Boa noite, Cinderela” drugging scheme (Spiked Drink Scam), as Ainsworth’s accounts recorded withdrawals, password changes, and loan requests. The Homicide Division is leading the case, with forensic exams pending to confirm the cause of death.
17/09/2025 – On Wednesday (17/09), São Paulo police launched Operation China Trick to dismantle a criminal group of Chinese nationals accused of financial fraud exceeding R$ 50 million. The suspects lured victims across Brazil through fake investment groups on social media and fraudulent apps imitating a major digital bank, initially paying dividends to gain trust before blocking withdrawals and disappearing with the money. One suspect was arrested, while search and seizure warrants were executed, and authorities continue to pursue a fugitive.
18/09/2025 – On Thursday (18/09), around noon, an inmate escaped from the Centro de Progressão Penitenciária (CPP) of Butantã, in São Paulo’s West Zone, with the help of armed men who stormed the facility. According to the Penitentiary Administration Secretariat, the attackers took advantage of a delivery truck’s entrance, overpowered a guard, and rescued the prisoner without causing injuries. The fugitive, convicted of theft and serving a 12-year sentence, was identified as the leader of a gang specialized in stealing luxury cars. Military Police were called at 12:15 and are conducting searches in the area.
18/09/2025 – On Thursday (18/09), an off-duty military police officer reacted to an attempted robbery on Rua Engenheiro José Cruz de Oliveira in Vila Jacuí, East Zone, and fatally shot a 16-year-old suspect, who later died at the hospital. Another suspect, aged 22, was also shot and remains hospitalized under police guard. A replica firearm was seized, and the case was registered at the 63rd Police District, which requested the preventive detention of the surviving suspect and the involvement of the Homicide and Personal Protection Department (DHPP).
19/09/2025 – On Friday (19/09), criminals invaded several houses in the upscale Morumbi neighborhood, South Zone, after first entering through a nearby municipal daycare. Neighbors noticed the movement and called the police, prompting the suspects to flee across rooftops, threatening residents and taking people hostage in two homes. There was an exchange of gunfire during the pursuit, and two suspects were arrested. The case was registered at the 89th Police District, and classes at the daycare were canceled following the incident.
19/09/2025 – On Friday (19/09), civil police arrested, in the Paraisópolis favela, a man identified as São Paulo’s most prolific home burglar. According to investigations, he led a gang specializing in residential invasions in upscale neighborhoods like Morumbi. The arrest came hours after an attempted robbery in Morumbi, where criminals clashed with police, fled across rooftops, and briefly held a family hostage before two suspects were captured. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the suspect was directly involved in that incident.
