Rio police kill suspected crime boss in shootout

Rio police kill suspected crime boss in shootout

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 8, 2024 (BSS/AFP) – A suspected organized crime boss in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro was killed Friday in a shootout with police as they tried to arrest him, officials said. local authorities.

Rio's civil police said in a statement that Rui Paulo Goncalves Estevao, also known as “Pipito,” was the alleged leader of an organized criminal group accused of extortion and sowing terror in the city.

“When he was approached, he attacked the officers and a confrontation ensued. The criminal was struck and taken to a local hospital, but died from his injuries,” police said.

Rio Governor Claudio Castro said police had dealt “a hard blow to criminals who disturb the peace of the population.”

Castro wrote on the social networking site , who is in prison.

Rio's organized crime groups, known as militias, were founded around 40 years ago by former law enforcement officers and originally presented as self-defense organizations aimed at to fight against violent drug traffickers.

In reality, they operate like mafias that control various businesses through extortion.

Militias have also seized public land to illegally build housing or commercial buildings, as real estate has become a key source of income.