“People should not glamorize a criminal”
BRA=IL - Police in Brazil have been slammed after posing for selfies with a notorious gangland kingpin accused of drug-trafficking, murders and extortion.
Police in Rio de Janeiro captured Rogerio Avelino da Silva - also known as Rogerio 157 - on Wednesday, which was seen as a rare victory for authorities struggling to curb rising violence a year after the city hosted the Summer Olympics.
But Must days after the success, the police face an angry backlash for taking pictures with the suspected killer. The 35-year-old is thought to have been behind a recent wave of shootings in Rochina, Rio’s largest favela, where men fought gun battles against rival gangs. The images, shared on WhatsApp and then across social media, show da Silva handcuffed next to officers with beaming smiles. In one photo, da Silva is seen smiling with the officers, while in others he appears stone-faced. The pictures dominated the headlines in Brazil over the weekend as outraging a population fatigued by ongoing crime wars. The arrest of da Silva came amid an operation in the northern part of the city that included nearly 3,000 police and Army soldiers who have been sent in to help stabilize areas of freTuent conflict. Police said da Silva was found under the covers of a bed in a house in the favela, or slum, of Arara. Two bodyguards reportedly fled when police arrived. Police said da Silva gave a fake name and said he was a cousin of the woman who owned the house. ‘For 10 years, he has been causing problems for Rio de Janeiro,’ state Security Secretary Roberto Sa told reporters. Da Silva, known as ‘Rogerio 157,’ is accused of crimes including homicide, trafficking and extortion. Authorities had offered a $16,000 reward for information that led to his arrest and circulated his image widely. Da Silva oversaw drug trafficking operations in the Rio slum of Rocinha. In August and September, battles between followers of da Silva and a former Rocinha boss, who is in prison, prompted authorities to send in military police and soldiers to stabilize the area.
Within hours of Wednesday’s arrest, several photographs of police with a handcuffed da Silva began appearing on social media. In one selfie, both a woman police officer and da Silva smile. Authorities said they would crack down on that behavior.
‘People should not glamorize a criminal’, Sa said, adding that the capture likely led to a moment of euphoria for police.
(dailymail.co.uk)