Data from Instituto Fogo Cruzado show that deaths caused by stray bullets skyrocketed in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro in 2023. A number that portrays the war between drug factions and the militia. According to the survey, from January to early March 2023, there were 13 deaths from stray bullets and 31 people injured. A 160% increase in the number of deaths and 106% in the number of injuries, compared to the same period in 2022.
Our Analysis:
The war for dominance of the communities, mainly in Rio’s North and West zones, has claimed daily victims in the confrontation between criminals. Drug trafficking, through the main criminal faction of the State, Red Command, has been trying to take over the Fubá communities, between Cascadura and Campinho and Praça Seca, also in the North Zone, dominated by a group of militiamen. Traffickers have also carried out daily attacks in the communities of Gardênia Azul, Anil, and Rio das Pedras, in the West Zone, also dominated by the militia, with the aim of expelling the militiamen and imposing their rules. In order to dominate the communities, traffickers rely on men from various communities to take over the territory. Gardênia Azul and Anil are close to Cidade de Deus, in Jacarepaguá, where drug traffickers uses Cidade de Deus as a base and brings in heavily armed men, mainly with rifles, from regions dominated by the Red Command from all over the country. The purpose is to take over the community and control the sale of gas cylinders, mineral water, cable TV signal and a trade fee of all services in the region.
01/04/2023 – One fan died, and another was injured after being shot at a bar near the Maracanã stadium, after the Carioca Championship final between Flamengo and Fluminense. The shooter is an off-duty Criminal Police inspector who was arrested. In videos published on social networks, it is possible to hear nine shots being fired. Civil Police information indicates that there was a discussion between those involved. The author pulled out the firearm and shot the victims.
01/04/2023 – The Civil Police arrested a criminal whose social name is Bruna Rayalla. She is considered one of the biggest wallets and cell phones thieves in Copacabana, South Zone. According to the police, she was arrested in São Cristóvão, North Zone. Investigators say that she took advantage of her appearance to approach mainly tourists and steal their cell phones and wallets. She would approach people playing and dancing with the victims or offering sexual services, while stealing their belongings.
01/04/2023 – A 52-year-old man was stabbed three times during an attempted robbery on Rua Cecília Meireles in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, West Zone. He was on a motorcycle going to pick up a friend when he was approached by two robbers. During the approach, the man reacted and got into a fight with the robber. With that, the two robbers fled.
02/04/2023 – Criminals made a mass robbery on Avenida Brasil, near the Irajá neighborhood, North Zone. Several shots were fired causing panic among drivers. Police officers from the Policing Battalion on Expressways (BPVE) were called to check the occurrence, but when they arrived, they found only victims who reported two car thefts.
02/04/2023 – Two criminals were arrested while they stole equipment from a unit that cares for children with disabilities in Bangu, West Zone. The duo tried to take items that help with locomotion, such as canes, crutches, walkers and even a children’s wheelchair. A team from the Bangu Battalion was patrolling the neighborhood when they were alerted to the crime.
03/04/2023 – The Civil Police arrested a woman who was taking weapons to the state of Bahia inside a bus. According to the police, she had embarked on Ilha do Governador bound for Salvador and packed two rifles and five pistols, as well as ammunition in her bag. The investigation points out that the weapons belong to the current head of trafficking in Rocinha.
04/04/2023 – The Military Police seized two rifles and a submachine gun during an operation in Morro do Fubá, in the Campinho neighborhood, North Zone. There was a confrontation, and two criminals were shot. According to police information, upon arriving at the community, officers were attacked by armed criminals.
05/04/2023 – Criminals escaping from a Military Police operation in Complexo da Maré invaded a public school but surrendered and ended up arrested. The operation was carried out by BOPE officers who arrived in the Nova Holanda community to arrest the heads of Comando Vermelho and criminals from other states who would be hiding in there.
05/04/2023 – A joint operation between the Civil Police of Rio and Paraná managed to arrest Marcelo Rosa Andrietti, considered one of the most dangerous bank robbers in the country, having acted criminally in several states. He was found in the Leme neighborhood, South Zone, after eight months of investigation. Andrietti was on the run and had hidden in Rio where, according to police information, he commanded criminal actions for the faction to which he belongs.
05/05/2023 – Bangu civil police arrested 32 people for the payroll loan scam on Rua Silva Cardoso, in Bangu, West Zone. Operation Telemarketing was triggered after an investigation by the police station’s fraud sector. Equipment used in the scam and notebooks with personal and bank data and information on victims were also seized.
05/04/2023 – Five people were shot during a confrontation between drug dealers in Morro do Cajueiro, in Madureira, North Zone. A 9-year-old girl was hit in the head, rescued, but she couldn’t resist. In addition to the child, a man also died after being wounded in the shooting. A witness stated that criminals from Serrinha arrived in the community shooting at residents.
