RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Criminals fleeing a State Police operation in Jacarezinho, in the North Zone of Rio, on Monday morning, October 19th, hijacked a service train by Supervia, the concessionaire operating Rio de Janeiro’s urban trains.
At least 10 armed men overpowered two engineers at Triagem Station and forced them to proceed to Mangueira, about 1.5 km ahead. After the hijacking, employees needed psychological assistance, but no one was injured.
Supervia reported that it was in contact with the authorities “to provide all its assistance and available to support the investigation of the case and in the identification of those responsible.”
The hijacking
Staff had been inspecting the air network since Jacarezinho, to determine if any shots fired in the operation had damaged the structure.
When the service train was stopped in Triagem, the gang invaded the railroad station from the tracks and overpowered the engineers.
The criminals continued for about 1.5 km and got off before the train reached São Cristóvão, fleeing towards the top of Morro da Mangueira. The gang was still wanted by the police until the last update of this report.
After the event, the train engineers headed to the Central Station, where they were provided with psychological assistance.
The Railroad Policing Group (GPFer) was triggered after receiving word of the event.
Police Operation
Early on, the State Police were conducting an operation in the Jacarezinho Favela, in the North Zone. There were reports of gunshots and bombs. Police officers from the Shock (tactical) and Special Operations Battalion (BOPE) reinforced policing on site with armored vehicles.
The criminals set up barricades to hinder police action. At 7:10 AM, Globocop captured a piece of furniture in flames used as a roadblock in the community. Because of the shooting, train circulation at the Belford Roxo station was suspended from 5:40 AM to 10:05 AM, according to SuperVia.
Two of the main roads in the region, Dom Hélder Câmara Avenue, near Manguinhos, and Leopoldo Bulhões Street, were closed to traffic, but reopened at around 7:15 AM.
Source: G1