More than two dozen heavily-armed men stormed into the center of Guararema early...
SAO PAULO - More than two dozen heavily-armed men stormed into the center of Guararema early on a recent morning, rousing the Brazilian town’s residents with the sound of broken glass, explosions - and then gunshots.
Such attacks have become commonplace in Brazil: Last year, an average of two banks or ATM machines were robbed every day, mainly in small towns without a major police presence.Each ATM has four boxes storing up to 2,700 bills apiece, meaning one cash machine stuffed with 100-real bills can yield up to 1 million reais . Bank robbers skilled with dynamite - working quickly - will often blow up several ATMs at each bank or go directly for their vaults.
In the Guararema bank robbery, police pursued the gang to a nearby highway, where the two sides exchanged gunfire. Eleven gang members were killed by police.Brazil’s banks, which spend $2.3 billion on security each year, have made headway against the gangs. The shift in tactics illustrates how criminal gangs are adjusting to added security measures by banks, warned Leandro Vilaim, business and operation director at bank industry association Febraban.
“Brazilian ATMs are so robust that if the country was bombed in a war, only cockroaches and ATMs would be left,” said Vilaim. Closures have left some towns with no source of cash, prompting several local prosecutors to file suits against the banks, seeking to reopen the branches.
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