30/04/2023 – Five armed criminals kidnapped the driver of a van in the Itaim Paulista region, East Zone. Military Police teams were on patrol on Avenida Dama Entre Verdes when they spotted a stolen van. They tried to approach, but the vehicle fled. There was a brief chase until the criminals hit a wall. The victim, who worked for a delivery company, reported that he had just dropped off the last employee and was returning home, when he was attacked after stopping at a traffic light.
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01/05/2023 – A sports shooter’s car was stolen in São Bernardo do Campo. Inside the vehicle were large-caliber weapons, which were not recovered. The victim, a 59-year-old man, reported being approached by an armed criminal who fled the scene taking his car. The man told the police that he had a registration as a shooter and claimed that two rifles, in addition to a pistol, were in the vehicle because he was going to the shooting club.
03/05/2023 – The Civil Police carried out an operation to dismantle an illegal lottery scheme, which was promoted by digital influencers. In all, Justice issued 14 search and seizure warrants. The operation was coordinated by the State Department of Criminal Investigations (Deic). According to the police, among the targets of the action are influencers, who offered betting links on social networks. Search warrants were also served on companies responsible for capturing bets. During the operation, the police seized five luxury cars, as well as computer equipment that was used to publicize and collect illegal bets. Investigations indicate that there are more than 24,000 complaints about non-payment of prizes that were drawn through these lotteries.
04/05/2023 – Two women used the “Good Night, Cinderella” (Spike drink) scam and stole R$30,000 from a businessman in Vila Mariana, South Zone. They were caught on security cameras arriving at a hotel with the victim, a 39-year-old businessman. The images show that the three go to the room with glasses of alcoholic beverages in their hands. The businessman said he met the girls at a nightclub in Vila Olímpia. Then they went with him to his hotel. The police suspect that, in addition to the drinks, they also took a substance to dope the victim. According to the police, in addition to the R$ 30,000 stolen by Pix, credit cards, a laptop and a cell phone were also stolen.
04/05/2023 – A criminal was arrested after assaulting an elderly person during a robbery in the middle of the street in downtown São Paulo. Security camera footage shows him attacking the pensioner and trying to steal everything from him. The criminal does not stop even with the arrival of the police. At the police station, the elderly man said he was returning home after getting a loan, but when he left the bus terminal he was approached by the criminal.
05/05/2023 – Criminals stole a truck, parked at the owner’s house, in the Parada Inglesa neighborhood, North Zone. Security cameras recorded when a car passed several times in front of the truck. Then a criminal pulls up and watches the movement on the street, that’s when the second criminal appears, gets into the truck, and runs away taking the vehicle. After the crime, the victim posted an appeal on social media, asking for information about the criminals. That’s when scammers took advantage of the situation and responded by promising to return the vehicle after paying R$ 2,000. But after payment the scammers disappeared.
06/05/2023 – A man was riding a motorcycle in Morumbi, West Zone, when he was approached by two armed bandits. They were following him on another motorcycle. Right behind, a black car approached with a retired military police officer. He tried to arrest the criminals, but they pointed the gun in his direction. The police managed to shoot one of the criminals, who died at the scene. The other managed to escape and the victim was not injured.
07/05/2023 – A robbery ended in a fight on the street Zulmerinda Flora dos Santos, in Interlagos neighborhood, South Zone. The victim and his wife were arriving home when they were surprised by armed bandits in front of their residence. The man was not intimidated and fought with the robbers. They fought until the couple’s family members showed up to help.
08/05/2023 – A criminal accused of being part of a gang responsible for the robbery of more than 300 bulletproof vests from the São Paulo police was arrested. According to civil police, part of the equipment was sold and the other would be used for bank robberies in small towns, with the additional use of bombs and automatic rifles – a method of attack that became famous and is known as “Novo Cangaço”. The criminal already had a police record.
09/05/2023 – A man was surrendered and robbed when he was arriving home in the Campo Grande neighborhood, South Zone. Two armed criminals arrived in a motorcycle, invaded his garage, surrendered him, and took his car. The family’s pets were inside the vehicle and one of them couldn’t leave, being robbed with it.
11/05/2023 – Two people were arrested for being part of a gang involved in love scams, in the North Zone. The arrests took place during an operation by the Anti-Kidnapping Division (DAS) of the Department of Strategic Police Operations (DOPE). The man was responsible for the gang’s finances. He took the victims’ cards and made the purchases. The woman was the one who talked and attracted the victims to the meetings. She used a fake profile to lure her victims.
11/05/2023 – A condominium security guard reacted to a fake delivery guy trying to rob in São Paulo’s West Zone. A criminal with app delivery backpack surrendered a group of four men walking down the sidewalk; a security guard of a nearby condominium saw the action and ran with a gun in hand. The security guard shot the criminal who still managed to escape. Security cameras caught the crime.
14/05/2023 – A 50-year-old Military Police officer was killed after reacting to a robbery in Vila Alpina, East Zone. He was riding a luxury motorcycle when he was approached by two criminals who were on another motorcycle. The police officer reacted and had a shooting with them. He was rescued and taken to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
14/05/2023 – A retired Civil Police clerk was shot during an attempted robbery at a bakery in the Americanópolis neighborhood, South Zone. He was inside the bakery when a group of four criminals broke in and announced the robbery. The victim reacted and had a shooting with the criminals. The retiree was shot and taken to the hospital, where he underwent surgery and is doing well. The criminals fled.
17/05/2023 – A criminal, arrested for participating in a massacre, fled from the police station where he had been held for three years in Vila Carrão, East Zone. He managed to escape from the location, which is underground and is monitored by cameras, without leaving a trace. Civil Police are now investigating the case.
18/05/2023 – A group of criminals invaded and robbed a medical clinic in the neighborhood of Moema, South Zone. Security cameras show the moment when the gang invades an optician during the night and steals more than 700 goods. At least five men and one woman participated in the crime. Criminals knew where the alarms and sensors were installed and managed to disable all security.
19/05/2023 – The digital influencer Lucas Viana suffered an attempted robbery while driving down on Indianópolis Avenue, in the Indianapolis neighborhood, South Zone. According to him, armed men got in front of the car and told him to stop, he reacted by accelerating the vehicle and almost got shot. The bullet went through the car and passed inches from the businessman.
19/05/2023 – A man was shot after being robbed by two criminals while arriving home, in Campo Belo, South Zone. In images from the security circuit, it is possible to see the moment when two men carrying food delivery backpacks divided into two motorcycles arrived at the entrance of the condominium and approach the victim. A few minutes later, one of the criminals shoots the victim. The criminals fled.
21/05/2023 – Actress Regiane Cèsnique was robbed by two armed criminals, on Rua Domingos Leme, in the Vila Nova Conceição neighborhood, South Zone. According to the victims — the 44-year-old actress and her 52-year-old husband — they were approached by two criminals on a motorcycle. They pointed the gun at the woman’s face, stole her cell phone and asked for the device’s password.
21/05/2023 – Two men were arrested trying to rob a jewelry store in Consolação, in downtown São Paulo. Footage from security cameras recorded the moment the gang — comprising at least five men — arrived in the back area of a jewelry store on Rua Bela Cintra. As they began drilling through the wall, the anti-vibration alarm was triggered. The owner of the establishment was notified by the security system. He went to the police station. Metropolitan Civil Guard officers went to the scene and found three members of the gang. One managed to escape, but two were arrested.
22/05/2023 – A motorcyclist chased a thief with a gun in his hand on Avenida Interlagos, in the Interlagos neighborhood, South Zone. He said he was the victim of a robbery but realized that the gun was a toy and decided to go after the bandit. The criminal tried to escape by jumping off a bridge and managed to escape.
23/05/2023 – A lawyer was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle on the East Zone. At the time of the crime, he was with his wife and beside his luxury car when two men on a motorcycle left a dead-end street and fired in the couple’s direction. The woman managed to escape but the man was hit. According to the Civil Police, the lawyer was involved with a criminal faction. The case is being treated as murder.
25/05/2023 – One criminal died, and another fled after a shooting with military police from Ronda Ostensiva Tobias de Aguiar (Rota) in Cursino, South Zone. According to information, the teams were triggered after at least two criminals stole a car in Ipiranga, also in the south zone. Officers then proceeded to look for the vehicle. When located, they gave a stop order, which was not obeyed, starting the pursuit that only stopped when the criminal lost control of the car. The duo then landed shooting. The Rota officers fought back.
29/05/2023 – A generalized fight, caused by a commercial disagreement between Iraqi and Lebanese families, left one person injured on Rua Barão de Duprat, in the area of Rua 25 de Março, in the historic center of São Paulo. According to the Military Police, agents were called to deal with a call because of a disturbance in the middle of the street, around noon, when the road was crowded. Police found a victim with head injuries who claimed to have been hit by a bottle during the melee. Videos showed people with guns drawn and firing shots. It all started when one of the families asked the other about commercial disagreements.
29/05/2023 – Civil police in the Federal District and São Paulo dismantled a São Paulo criminal group that coerced a man, a resident of Brasília, to transfer R$ 4,000 under threat of revealing to his wife and family messages of a sexual nature kept with a false profile, in a dating site. During Operation Catfish, a woman was arrested and three search and seizure warrants were carried out in São Paulo.
30/05/2023 – A 37-year-old fake doctor was arrested during an appointment in the Perdizes neighborhood, West Zone. She, who has more than 86,000 followers on social networks and has participated in lectures, used the number of the Regional Council of Medicine (CRM) of another doctor to serve clients without anyone suspecting. According to the Secretariat of Public Security, the police were called by the victim, who reported that there was a professional beautician posing as a doctor and using her CRM. The professional planned an ambush together with the police and made an appointment with the fake doctor. At the end of the service, the author stamped a request for exams with the victim’s CRM, which resulted in the arrest.
30/05/2023 – A criminal died after a metropolitan civil guard (GCM) reacted to an attempted robbery on Avenida Zaki Narchi, in the neighborhood of Carandiru, North Zone. The victim was returning to his residence accompanied by his wife after work when he was approached. The criminal took advantage of the driver slowing down due to the traffic light and announced the robbery. Upon realizing the crime, the metropolitan civil guard pulled his gun and shot the man.
30/05/2023 – Three criminals were arrested after a chase in Pompéia region, West Zone. They were in a luxury car and fled when they saw a police car. Shots were fired, and one of the criminals was wounded. That only ended when they collided against two vehicles and a wall. Inside the car, a fake gun, tools to break into doors and gloves were found. Police officers found, after survey, that the vehicle had been stolen in April this year.
TRENDS & ADVICE
- Stay away from any protest most likely to occur in the city center, including Avenida Paulista, the MASP, Praça do Ciclista, Praça da Sé, Largo da Batata and Praça da Republica.
- Monitor the local media in order to circumvent protest locations, including social media.
- If caught in a demonstration: remain still and take the time to see which way the crowd is going; attempt to leave the area by going against the movement of the crowd; avoid using your mobile phone, taking pictures or filming the demonstration; go to the nearest building as soon as possible and wait until the situation clears; try to avoid contact with security forces if possible.
- Considering the high crime rate in São Paulo, business travelers and expatriates should comply with safety rules in order to reduce the risk linked to violent crime. In case of an assault, it is strictly recommended not to resist the attackers and avoid making any sharp movement that may irritate the assailants, who do not hesitate to open fire.
- Avoid, if possible, circulating through the neighborhoods in the East Zone due to the high rates of various crimes.
- Pay attention when trying to meet new people on the internet as criminals use the dating app and social networks to apply scams.
- Due to several police operations, drug users previously concentrated in a region called “Cracolândia” have spread across downtown, leading to an increase in petty crimes. Hence, avoid walking around with your cell phone in your hand, in addition to wearing jewels and expensive watches.
- The number of express kidnappings has increased lately due to a new method (PIX) that allows people to easily transfer money using bank apps. Cooperate in order to mitigate the risk of violence.
- Attention to the windows when inside a vehicle. Keep them closed, as criminals use heavy traffic to rob passengers that expose valuables.
- Keep in mind useful numbers: Emergency police number (190), and São Paulo tourist Police (+55 11 3120 4447).
