SAO PAULO — In a significant operation on Friday, Brazilian law enforcement agencies eliminated six individuals believed to be part of a gang engaged in plotting extensive bank heists, according to official statements from authorities.

Officers from the southern state of Parana conducted a raid on a ranch in Ponta Grossa, where they suspected the gang was preparing to execute a bank robbery or an assault on an armored vehicle. The police had been monitoring the suspects since the previous December, and upon their arrival, the suspects reportedly opened fire, leading to a violent confrontation.

During the operation, police confiscated a .50-caliber machine gun, several rifles, and explosives from the suspects’ hideout. This raid is part of an ongoing effort to tackle the increasing prevalence of large-scale bank robberies in Brazil, which have escalated in frequency and brutality in recent years.

Such criminal acts often see the use of hostages, who are positioned as human shields to thwart police interventions. In a strikingly similar operation conducted in October 2021, law enforcement officials killed 25 gang members in an effort to dismantle another criminal organization. Just two months prior, in August 2021, robbers in a different city created chaos by parading hostages in the streets and binding some of them to vehicles as they made their escape.

This latest incident underscores the ongoing challenges Brazilian authorities face as they strive to curb the operations of organized crime groups and ensure public safety amidst rising levels of violence and crime-related tactics.