The number of crimes in which a captivity is used to hold the victim hostage and access her bank accounts has been growing in the state of São Paulo. From 2017 to 2021, it practically doubled: from 885 cases to 1,685. And the situation has gotten much worse this year. From January to June there were 1,890 crimes, 12% more than in the whole of last year. In this type of crime, criminals force victims to revel passwords through torture. Including constant death threats.
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02/09/2022 – Security camera footage recorded a thief climbing a 6-meter-high wall to steal the air conditioning of a clinic in the Bela Vista neighborhood, downtown São Paulo. The crime happened at dawn and the thief took the outside of the air conditioning unit.
02/09/2022 – A doctor died when he was shot by criminals who tried to rob his car in Pinheiros, West Zone. At the time of the crime, the victim’s teenage son was in the passenger seat and survived. The criminals fled on a motorcycle.
04/09/2022 – Criminals stole around R$3,000 worth of products from a pharmacy on Tibúrcio de Sousa Street, in the Itaim Paulista neighborhood, East Zone. A police car passing by the scene at the time of the crime managed to arrest the two men.
04/09/2022 – An engineer has been released after being kidnapped and held captive for 15 hours. He was kidnapped after arranging a date for Saturday (4), in the region of Pirituba, North Zone. The Military Police were called on Sunday morning (4), after the vehicle was found abandoned.
05/09/2022 – A driver was kidnapped after taking the wrong path on Rodovia dos Bandeirantes in São Paulo. He was surrendered when he was going to make U turn. The criminals closed his car and took him into captivity, but as it was already night, the bank transfers reached a limit, so the victim was forced to stay there until the next day.
Our analysis:
GPS often helps drivers. But recent cases show that there are risks.
- It is recommended to use only GPSs with up-to-date databases. Therefore, when choosing a particular product, it is important to check if the responsible company usually updates the maps frequently
- Research the destination and the route in advance, since with the car in motion, the attention to carry out the destination check decreases
- Most GPSs offer the driver three options: ‘shortest’, ‘fastest’ and ‘easier’. The naming changes depending on the system, but, in general, the options follow this pattern. The ‘easier’ favors the main roads. As these roads are more frequented places, where many people usually travel, the chance of being in danger is lower
- When suspecting that the GPS has taken him to a place he does not intend to pass, the driver must take it easy, stop and seek guidance. Public bodies are considered safer points for this. If not, stores are always a good option.
- In case of an approach by criminals, there is no 100% safe procedure. But certain measures, such as dimming the headlights, turning on the interior light and keeping your hands in plain view, can reduce the risks.
05/09/2022 – A businessman was murdered after falling into the date scam and making a Pix in the maximum daily amount in his account, about R$ 10 thousand. The businessman’s body was found in a forested region in the extreme north of São Paulo. About six hours after the kidnapping, the victim’s car was found completely burned on Francisco Alves Street, in the Vila Jaraguá neighborhood, which is about 2 kilometers from the place where the body was found.
06/09/2022 – A Chinese trader was murdered on Lavapés Street, in Cambuci, Central region. The Chinese man was approached by two men on a motorcycle. The one on the back already arrived shooting. The merchant was alone in a luxury car and had R$ 3 thousand.
06/09/2022 – An off-duty military police officer without a uniform was shot three times, once in the head, while reacting to an attempted robbery in the Freguesia do Ó neighborhood, North Zone. The security camera of a company on Sete Barras Street recorded the moment that three criminals flee after shooting at the Military Police (PM) officer.
06/09/2022 – A man was arrested after kidnapping a candidate for state deputy in the Jaraguá region, North Zone. According to the Military Police, the victim is from the Solidariedade party. On the date of the crime, he went to Avenida Paulista, in the central region of São Paulo, to participate in a podcast program. On his way out, he went to Rua Miguel Ribas, in Jaraguá, where he had arranged to meet a lady who would work on his electoral campaign. Arriving at the address, he was approached by three armed suspects. He was taken to a captivity where he was held hostage for about eight hours. According to what Thiago told the police, the group’s intention was to steal money from the electoral fund.
06/09/2022 – A man was shot during a robbery in Perdizes, West Zone. Realizing that he would be robbed, he tried to run away, but was shot in the back. The criminal, who was on a motorcycle, took the victim’s cell phone and fled.
08/09/2022 – A 56-year-old man died after jumping from a moving car during a kidnapping on Taipas Road, North Zone. According to the Military Police, people called the corporation reporting that they saw a man jumping from a car that was moving at the indicated address. Later, the teams found that the man jumped out of the car because he had been kidnapped by a group suspected of being part of the Pix gang.
08/09/2022 – An off-duty military police officer without a uniform fell with off his motorcycle after being shot by criminals during an attempted robbery, on Amador Bueno Street, in the Penha neighborhood, East Zone. A security camera recorded the criminals’ action, who were on two motorcycles, and fled without taking the victim’s vehicle.
09/09/2022 – The deputy mayor of Lapa, West Zone, was arrested by the Civil Police during a new stage of Operation Vesúvio. The action aims to investigate the corruption of officials of the department. According to the Public Ministry of São Paulo, the investigations indicated the existence of undue advantages for the issuance of authorization permits for events in the area covered by the department.
09/09/2022 – Criminals broke into a bank branch on Antártica Avenue, in Água Branca, West Zone. According to preliminary information from the Military Police, the criminals entered the bank branch and fled with cash. So far, according to the corporation, there are no details on how many people are involved in the crime or what value the group took.
09/09/2022 – A prison officer was shot after reacting to an attempted robbery on Capitão Mor Rodrigues de Almeida Street, near Ponte dos Remédios, West Zone. The victim was returning home after the day’s work, when he was surprised by two criminals on a motorcycle. The pair chased the police officer with the aim of stealing the motorcycle.
09/09/2022 – A woman was surprised with a violent assault in the Brás neighborhood, downtown São Paulo. The victim was sitting on a bench on the sidewalk, when a man for no reason approached and kicked and punched her.
