A survey by the Instituto Fogo Cruzado shows that, in less than four months, the number of children shot in 2023 in the metropolitan region of Rio is already higher than that recorded in the entire year of 2022. In all, 12 children were injured by firearms this year – four of them died. In 2022, 8 children were shot throughout the year. The first child shot in 2023 was hit in the first few minutes of the year. The 11-year-old boy was in a chair on the porch of his house celebrating New Year’s Eve when he was hit. The last one was a 10-year-old boy, shot when he was returning home from school where he studied. The institute points to police operations and stray bullets as the main causes of violence affecting children. According to the survey, 37.7% of the victims were hit during police operations, while 71.5% were injured by stray bullets.
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07/04/2023 – A truck driver was rescued by the Military Police after being taken hostage during a cargo theft. The cargo was valued at R$600,000. According to the police, the victim was approached by criminals on Presidente Dutra Highway. But officers from the Irajá Battalion managed to rescue him, the vehicle and part of the stolen cargo in the Ficap community, in the Pavuna neighborhood, North Zone.
07/04/2023 – Catete police officers arrested three criminals for advertising and selling stolen cell phones on social media. According to the police, they were part of a criminal organization that operated on the subway in the South Zone. They lured victims with below-market prices and arranged a meeting at a subway station. There, the criminals delivered the devices, rushed the victims to make the PIX transfer and left quickly. By the time people realized that cell phones were blocked, it was too late.
09/04/2023 – The Command of the Special Police Battalion in Stadiums (Bepe) officers arrested four criminals who were acting before the game between Flamengo and Fluminense at the Maracanã Stadium, North Zone. They had an open arrest warrant and were on the run. The arrest of the four men was carried out with the help of an electronic monitoring system, developed by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, and implemented in sports arenas. The objective is to identify and recapture people wanted by the Justice.
10/04/2023 – Three Colombians were arrested after subway security cameras caught the group stealing a cell phone at a station. They were arrested when trying to repeat the action. Police believe that they had already committed other thefts in subway stations in the South Zone, Barra da Tijuca and downtown. They impersonate tourists, approach the victims and, in a matter of seconds, steal the person’s cell phone. The victim, in most cases, do not even realize that his/her cell phone was stolen.
12/04/2023 – The Federal Police (PF) carried out an operation with international cooperation aimed at dismantling a criminal organization specializing in money laundering from drug trafficking. 33 arrest warrants were served in six states and 49 search and seizure warrants were served in nine states. The operation was called “Match Point”. The main target was an Icelander who was arrested at his home in São Conrado, South Zone.
12/04/2023 – The Civil Police arrested a gang that applied the fake payroll loan scam to the elderly. The gang’s office was in Madureira, North Zone. At the site, officers found a ‘call center’ and documents. Six people were arrested. According to the police, criminals called the victims and offered new loans to, in theory, lower the interest rates of previous payroll loans. But the money stayed with the scammers.
12/04/2023 – Criminals from the Furquim Mendes Community, in Vigário Geral, North Zone, stole a truck carrying boxes of bread and paint and tried to hide it within the community. The Military Police went to the community, rescued part of the cargo and seized the truck. When officers arrived at the scene, criminals reacted, and a shooting took place.
12/04/2023 – A fake Federal Revenue employee was arrested in Flamengo, South Zone for the crimes of aggravated theft, scam against the elderly and criminal organization. Police were called to the building after neighbors of an elderly woman became suspicious of his behavior. According to the investigations, the day before the attacks, a woman, also pretending to be an employee of the Revenue, called the victim’s home and reported that there were problems with the income tax declaration. She said she would send an employee the next day. On the appointed day, he would show up and be received at the victim’s house. According to the delegate, he took documents and stole goods, in particular jewelry and money.
12/04/2023 – A 51-year-old military police officer, assigned to the Institutional Security Office (GSI), in the Guanabara Palace, died after a robbery in Humaitá, South Zone. According to the Military Police, the officer was off duty and was shot. The gunman managed to flee. Witnesses reported that the police officer had just bought the motorcycle he was riding and had not driven even a kilometer before the crime. The recorded scenes show that the criminals would be on three or four motorcycles. The police officer runs when approached, but two criminals hold him and seem to steal his belongings. When the duo walks away in the middle of traffic, the PM gets up and shoots. One of the thieves, already on the other side of the track, retaliates, firing several shots. Then they run away, but they don’t take the officers’ motorcycle.
13/04/2023 – Rio Civil Police started the second phase of Operation Queen, against those responsible for the invasions that caused the recent clashes in the West Zone. At this stage, officers focused on the internet signal monopoly imposed by drug trafficking. Police served six search and seizure warrants at addresses in Barra da Tijuca and Freguesia. According to investigations, an internet, telephony, and TV provider partnered with Comando Vermelho to prevent other companies from operating in those locations. Technicians from competing companies are being expelled from the communities by traffickers. Criminals also vandalized the installed networks, cutting cables and setting fire to equipment.
13/05/2023 – One person was found dead on Rua Araticum, in Anil, West Zone. At least 13 people have been killed on that street since February of this year. In the latter case, the Military Police reported that a team from the Jacarepaguá Battalion received a report that there was a dead person at the scene. There is still no information about the identity of the victim and the motive for the crime.
14/04/2023 – The Tourist Police Battalion (BPTur) seized four rifles in the suitcase of a woman who disembarked at Rio Central Bus Station. According to BPTur, the weapons were destined for Complexo do Alemão, North Zone. The police suspected the 22-year-old woman because she was very nervous after receiving a stop order from officers for a personal search. She had just arrived from Belo Horizonte and said that she was told to go with the material to the favelas. The criminal was arrested.
