Hitmen arrested in Baixada.
The Civil Police, with the participation of the Gaeco (Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime), arrested 11 members of an extermination gang on Sunday morning; "services" cost up to R$ 1 per death; the motive could even be the theft of a bicycle; the exterminators killed in broad daylight, in the middle of the street.
Agência Brasil - An extermination group that operated in Baixada Fluminense was arrested today (25) by the Civil Police with the support of the Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime (Gaeco) of the State Public Ministry.
The accused operated in the town of Delamare, in the municipality of Japeri, which has the worst Human Development Index (HDI) in Rio de Janeiro. The victims were killed over trivial debts. Through court-authorized wiretaps, it was possible to identify the gang's cold-bloodedness.
One of the victims was killed because he allegedly owed money on a rental agreement. Another was murdered for committing thefts in the area. A third was shot multiple times during the day, in front of other people, so that his death would serve as an example to the community.
In the wiretaps, the gang members are caught planning the crimes, not only in Japeri, but also in the neighboring municipality of Queimados.
The operation, named Tornado, aimed to execute 15 temporary arrest warrants for individuals accused of homicide and armed gang activity, as well as 21 search and seizure warrants. Four people are still at large.
Detective Carlos Augusto da Silva, head of the Japeri police station, who participated in the operation, said that the homicides in the region motivated the start of the investigations. Furthermore, they also acted as hitmen, charging R$ 1 to execute a victim.
The Civil Police believe that the gang had been operating since 2010, when it began to be investigated for the deaths in Japeri.
"A boy would steal a bicycle and they would simply kill him," said Pimenta, emphasizing that with the arrests, he hopes to gain help from the population. "Now, with the arrest of these 11, we hope that people will report crimes. When we went to the scene to try to talk to the residents, nobody said anything out of fear," said investigator Pimenta.
According to police chief Carlos Augusto da Silva, the men will be sent to the Polinter police station in Grajaú, in the northern part of the city; the woman will go to Bangu 1 prison, in the western part of Rio. They are expected to be charged with homicide and forming a criminal gang, according to the police.
Four people are still at large.