It is at dawn, between 4 am and 5 am, that everything happens. Building gates are ripped off, walls are climbed and houses invaded, commercial points are broken into. Since the beginning of the year, Tororó, one of Salvador’s historic neighborhoods, has experienced a wave of thefts – an average of six occurrences per week, according to residents. They say that crimes are committed by drug users, stimulated by the countless junkyards installed in the city center and its surroundings. And the situation is so worrying that security cameras become decorations.
“No one is holding up! Every day we have at least one report that they (criminals) entered somewhere. One building had its gates ripped off twice in 24 hours! Two days before, four of them walked around here, pretending they were picking up garbage to recycle, but in fact they were watching everything, surveying the area. We believe that one of them did it. The building has cameras, right at the entrance and is very visible, but even so, it did not intimidate. They don’t care”, declared Valnei de Jesus Almeida, a community leader, who referred to the thefts that took place in the Cidade Remanso building on April 30 and May 1.
The building in question is on Rua da Capelinha, known as Capelinha do Tororó. In the images that were made available to the report, a man carries one of the aluminum gates. “He took one (gate) from the main entrance and the other that connects the garage to the playground. The unbelievable was the audacity! He didn’t take it all at once. One day he pulled one out and the next day he pulled the other. Everything after 4 am”, said the self-employed Márcio Sandes, 50, who two aunts who live in one of the apartments – one 79 and the other 91 years old.
The building does not have a doorman and had free access to the building’s staircase. “I spent two days here sleeping at their house. I couldn’t leave them alone,” said the nephew. On the first day the thief acted, a resident heard the noise. “It was someone throwing themselves at something. That’s probably what he (thief) did, he used his own body against the structure and then ripped it off. When the resident appeared at the window, he already saw the guy taking the gate. Already on the second day, he acted that no one saw. With the holiday, it got even more deserted here and it rained a lot”, said Sandes.
Repairing the gates – now made of iron – cost residents R$4,000. “I couldn’t even get a price quote. I had to solve the problem in a hurry, because we were all vulnerable”, said the sub-supervisor, retired Elizete Carvalho, 63. However, the fear of a new attack is great. “In the entrance roll we have more components made of aluminum, such as grilles, the covers that protect the energy and water meters. We are all concerned because since the beginning of the year, we have had several cases of theft like never before. When the (Military) police come, they just pass by and leave”, declared the sub-institution. She said that the condominium filed a complaint with the 1st Police Station (Barris). “But until now, no one was here. You (report) are the first ones who came to us”, amended the subscript.
Sauna
The name Tororó has an indigenous origin, which means, in the Tupi language, “gushing water” or “noisy river”. Neighboring the Engenho Velho de Brotas, Garcia, Barris, Nazaré and Boa Vista de Brotas neighborhoods, Tororó has the Apaxes do Tororó, the oldest Carnival block that has inspired indigenous peoples since 1968, bringing joy and emphasizing work preservation of native peoples. “Part of the city’s history is here and don’t we see the care it deserves like in other regions of the capital, like Barra? Lack of security here too! ”, said community leader Valnei de Jesus.
He almost ran into the criminals three weeks ago. “They tried to enter my house, but that day I was awake. He couldn’t sleep. I was watching television when I heard someone forcing the door. It was about 4 o’clock. When I went to see who it was, they ran. I saw a couple of them running. They act at the end of the night, because people are still sleepy and hardly wake up, even more so in a rainy period, ”he said.
On April 12, Sauna Planetário 11, Rua José Duarte, the main street in the neighborhood, was invaded twice by the same person: a woman. On her first visit, around 4 am, she gained access through a bathroom door in a suite and took a 40-inch LCD TV. In the second invasion, taking the same route, the thief took several drinks from the bar, including whiskey, vodka and sparkling wines. Security cameras recorded the woman carrying the television. The owner registered the fact at the Digital Police Station.
junkyards
Three weeks ago, shopkeeper Paulo César Dantas Souza, 54, couldn’t believe what he saw. Paulo lives in a building, a few meters from the sauna. A man climbed the ground floor, where he has a blindfold, and was already practically inside his balcony, when his dog chased him away, shortly after 4:30 am. “I had forgotten the window open and woke up with the dog agitated. When I arrived, the dog was barking and the burglar had already jumped. I saw him running. This isn’t the first time they’ve tried to break into my home and establishment. It is very difficult to live like this ”, he declared.
In front of his house, there is Barraca da Cris. “The owner couldn’t take it. He was robbed three times in less than a month and went out of business. The whole point is that the thefts are carried out by users. They take it to these junkyards to buy drugs,” said the merchant. “The big problem is that the Center is full of these places. In the Tororó area alone there are several. This would not happen if there were no people buying objects that were stolen”, added community leader Valnei de Jesus.
The incidence of criminal practice is such that in some buildings there are padlocks on the gates to prevent our thefts, as is the case of the Joana Angélica Building, still on the main street of the neighborhood. “They started with everything last year and now the superintendent put this chain to make it difficult”, said the doorman. The situation is the same in the Alice building, in front of a spiritist center, on Rua do Amparo do Tororó. “We hope it doesn’t happen again. We residents are not safe. At any moment we run the risk of being approached by him at the entrance or exit. I want to get out of here”, said a woman from the balcony.
robberies
And thefts are not the only problem for those who live in Tororó. Robberies are also frequent, especially for those who live at the end of Rua José Duarte. One of the crucial points is a cobblestone road that gives access to Rua Monsenhor Rubens Mesquita, which connects the neighborhood to Lapa Station. According to the residents, bandits act disguised as couriers. “They come and go on motorcycles that nobody takes. They rob here and use the street as an escape route. People here are already scared when they see one of these bikers with bags on their backs. Some neighbors went down and when they got to the end they were robbed, because they (the bandits) are also waiting for the opportunity”, reported community leader Valnei de Jesus.
About 50 meters away is Rua Barbosa de Baixo, another dangerous spot. It is a staircase that gives access to Vale dos Barris. Here, thieves are on foot. “They attack in the morning, afternoon, night, raining. For them, they don’t have bad time. They go after old people, children, pregnant women, they don’t release anyone. They usually act in pairs: one immobilizes and the other takes everything”, reported a gentleman.
The report sought the Civil Police and the Military Police, but so far there are no responses from the institutions.
