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Brazil – Brutal robbery shakes the country

It is Reuters who writes that armed robbers attacked several banks in the city of Araçatuba on Monday.

One of the branches was a depot to store cash, Alvaro Camilo from the military police in São Paulo said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Three dead

They write that the robbers must have used extremely brutal methods.

They are said to have used civilians as human shields in the escape, left explosives as traps, burned cars and shot at police officers.

UNFORTUNATE: A man chose a slightly unfortunate route when he was about to run away from a bank robbery with his prey. Reporter: Christian Wehus. Video: CNN.
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The result is that at least three people have died after the shootings, the news agency writes. Two of the dead are said to be local civilians, while the last is said to be one of the robbers.

A person is also said to have had to amputate one leg after being injured in an explosion.

Massive robbery

More than 20 armed men are said to have been involved in the attack, with 10 getaway cars available, Alvaro Camilo of the São Paulo military police told Reuters.

They are also said to have used drones to monitor the areas prior to the robbery.

Because the robbers left explosives in the streets, the police had to ask the population to stay indoors until the area had been cleared.

So far, it has been reported that two of the robbers have been arrested.

Several brutal robberies

Monday’s attack is the latest in a series of brutal bank robberies in Brazil.

In December last year, there were two spectacular robberies that came the day after each other. First in the town of Criciúma, where there was a dramatic exchange of fire between the robbers and the police, and where the cash flew in the streets.

The next day, 20 robbers attacked a bank in the town of Cametá. The robbers then killed one of the hostages, while another person was shot in the foot.

Exploits weaknesses

Camilo in the military police says that they do not yet know if the three different bank robberies, which are carried out in a fairly similar way, have any connection.

Reuters writes that researchers in Brazil believe that the corona pandemic has encouraged robbers to plan and conduct raids in smaller cities, with less security, where banks keep a lot of cash.

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