Police execute 100 arrest warrants in slums in Rio

On the morning of October 9, a comprehensive police operation unfolded across three favelas in Rio de Janeiro aiming to serve 100 arrest warrants. The state's Civil Police Secretary, José Renato Torres, disclosed this information during an interview. 

This action is part of Operation Maré, which the Rio de Janeiro state government unveiled at the end of September in response to reports of criminal elements from Maré—a suburb in the northern part of Rio that encompasses some favelas—using public recreational spaces to conduct guerrilla training. 

The focus of this operation is on communities under the control of the Comando Vermelho, a criminal faction. According to the police, members of this faction were allegedly implicated in the tragic deaths of three doctors in Barra da Tijuca, located in the western part of the city, just last week. 

José Renato Torres elaborated on the operation's objective, stating, "All individuals affiliated with this criminal faction who are subject to arrest warrants are the primary targets. Today, specifically, we aim to confront this criminal faction that is seeking to expand its territorial influence, thereby inciting conflicts with other organizations, thereby undermining the overall security situation." 

To enhance transparency and monitoring, all military police officers in Maré are equipped with body cameras, while advanced drones equipped with facial recognition and license plate reading capabilities are deployed. These real-time images are relayed to the state government's Integrated Command and Control Center. 

Unfortunate doctors 

The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro are investigating the possibility that the three doctors were killed by mistake in the early hours of Thursday (5), at a kiosk on Barra da Tijuca beach. Preliminary investigations suggest that the assailants may have wrongly identified one of the victims as a disaffected member of their group. 

Suspects 

The suspects in this tragic incident are believed to be associated with a criminal organization controlling illicit activities within local communities. None of the three doctors were city residents; they were in Rio to participate in an orthopedics congress and tragically lost their lives at a kiosk near their lodging. 

The police are also considering the possibility that the mistaken identity and the extensive media coverage may have irked leaders of the Comando Vermelho, the faction believed to be linked to the criminal group responsible for the doctors' deaths. Allegedly, these faction leaders have issued orders for the execution of the individuals responsible for the doctors' tragic fate. 

This hypothesis gained traction following the discovery of four bodies inside two vehicles at dawn by the Civil Police on the subsequent Friday. While two of the deceased have been identified as potential suspects in the doctors' murders, the identities of the remaining two victims are still unknown.