CBN's newsroom received several WhatsApp messages complaining about the lack of security at metro and train stations at São Cristóvão and Praça da Bandeira, in Rio de Janeiro's North Zone. Passengers report that crime has migrated into public transportation, with cases of robbery and even mass theft in train cars and platforms.
A concerning phenomenon observed is that the street vendors themselves, who work daily on the trains, have started to function as a kind of "live alert." They warn passengers to hide their phones and hold onto their bags, alerting them about the increased risk of robbery.
Last weekend, four passengers were held up and robbed by two armed criminals inside a metro car, near the São Cristóvão station. The bandits took phones and documents from the victims.
A CBN listener told us that her niece was also a victim of a robbery inside a train that was heading to Central do Brasil, illustrating the gravity of the situation faced by public transportation users in the region.
