The Federal Police (PF) is carrying out today (24) another phase of the operation that seeks to identify and arrest all participants in the mega-robbery of banks in Araçatuba, in the interior of São Paulo, in August 2021. Five arrest warrants are being served, ten for search and seizure and five for criminal identification (when the person is taken to the police station to be identified).
The actions are being carried out in the cities of Sorocaba, Limeira, Campinas – in the interior of São Paulo -, in addition to Osasco, in Greater São Paulo, Guarujá, on the coast of the state, and Goiânia (GO).
The targets of today’s operation are suspected of having participated directly in the robbery, as well as people who would have supported financially or in the logistics of the crime.
According to the PF, the size and complexity of the criminal organization make the investigation difficult, not because of the number of people involved, but also because of the compartmentalization of the group, which has components responsible for the various tasks necessary for action.
During the investigations, 53 arrest warrants and 105 search and seizure warrants against suspected members of the gang have already been fulfilled.
The assault
In the early hours of August 30, a group attacked two bank branches – one belonging to Banco do Brasil and the other to Caixa Econômica Federal – in Araçatuba, in the interior of São Paulo, with explosives. The thieves also spread explosives throughout the city.
In the escape, there was an exchange of fire with the police and hostages were used as a shield, even placed on the hoods of the gang’s cars. Three people, including two robbers, were killed in the action, in addition to at least three people who were injured.
