According to data released by Public Security Secretariat of the State of São Paulo (SSP-SP), in 2022 39,462 motorcycles were robbed or stolen in the state. The increase was 38% when compared to 2021 when 28,627 cases of motorcycle thefts or robbery were recorded. During the year, 100 motorcycles were robbed or stolen per day on average. The most expensive and powerful motorcycles are used by criminals to commit other crimes. While the cheapest and less powerful are dismantled and their pieces supply the clandestine market.
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04/03/2023 – A couple broke into a building in Vila Guilherme, North Zone, and stole an apartment. The owner was not at home when the criminals entered. They stole several electronics from the house and money. They left with a full suitcase without anyone noticing anything.
04/03/2023 – A woman was robbed by a man disguised as a delivery man on Avenida Moaci, in Planalto Paulista, South Zone. Security camera footage shows the moment the victim parks the car in front of her house. At that moment, a man wearing a helmet and a delivery bag approaches, he tries to open the passenger door, while tapping the gun on the glass and pointing towards the driver. After the theft the criminal runs back towards his motorcycle and flees.
05/03/2023 – Criminals made a mass robbery in the South Zone. Four cars were stolen in a row. A criminal was arrested when the Military Police managed to track down one of the stolen cell phones. All stolen belongings have been recovered. In addition to a weapon being seized with the arrested criminal.
06/03/2023 – A 33-year-old delivery man died after being shot while working. Even injured, he went in search of help and managed to get close to a winery in Jardim Brasília, North Zone. Nothing was taken from the victim. The police is still investigating the crime.
07/03/2023 – A businessman was targeted by criminals at a nightclub in the West Zone, he felt a “sting” like that of an insect while he was in line. He blacked out and woke up 24 hours later, in a square, with his ribs broken, without his belongings and realized that R$37,000 had been stolen from his bank account.
Our Analysis:
According to the São Paulo Military Police, this would be a new type of “Good Night, Cinderella” scam (spiked drink scam), except that, instead of putting drugs in the drink, they use a syringe to dope the victim. In the traditional method, someone, usually nice and good looking, slips a drug into someone else’s drink. These drugs alter the level of consciousness for up to three days, leaving the victim vulnerable enough to be robbed and/or raped. Because they dissolve easily; and being colourless and odourless, identifying a glass that received such doses is an almost impossible task. Relatively frequent, this scam usually occurs at parties, nightclubs, bars, and the beach; providing as initial effects the same as alcohol provides. In a second moment, the individual feels drowsy and has difficulty reacting to physical and/or psychological threats, basically obeying all the commands dictated by the scammer. The emergence of digital finance apps and the Pix (new method for transferring money) is a great opportunity for criminals to invest on this type of crime and obtain more and more profit without an extremely high risk involved. The impact of this logic has already been observed in the numbers of traditional kidnappings, robbery after money withdrawals, forced money withdrawal (a type of express kidnapping), bank robbery, and ATM robbery. Incidents in these categories have decreased, while numbers of express kidnappings have been increasing strongly.
08/03/2023 – Two men were robbed in the Campo Limpo neighborhood, South Zone. The two were in a car when they were approached by an armed man. The criminal was visibly nervous and giving contradictory orders, even going so far as to shoot to the ground. At one point, he demanded that one of the people pull down his shorts to make sure he wasn’t hiding anything.
08/03/2023 – An actor met someone through a dating app, made a date in the Capão Redondo neighborhood, South Zone, and disappeared. Days later, he was found dead and charred in a wooded area. The family managed to recognize him by a tattoo.
09/03/2023 – A company from São Paulo is suspected of carrying out a scam in the sale of water filters. Criminals convince customers, especially elderly people, of the need to buy expensive products. Since most people don’t have the money to pay, the sellers make bank loans on behalf of the victims without their knowledge. More than 70 people reported such schemes across the state.
