Mystery surrounds the hijacking of a semi-trailer tractor truck in Rodoaner, São Paulo, on Wednesday morning (12/11). The driver of the vehicle that blocked three lanes of the highway for about five hours and caused a 20km traffic jam was found trapped in a mock bomb and in a state of shock.
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Before he could give a statement to the police, he had to be taken to the hospital of the First Police District (DP) of Itapecerica da Serra, the municipality where the kidnapping took place. However, interviewing the victim is only one of the first steps in an investigation aimed at solving the case.
What we know about this incident
Police said the truck from the transport company Citrex was heading to the company’s headquarters in Sao Bernardo do Campo, in the São Paulo metropolitan area, after a trip to Peru. The driver would have smuggled a large amount of explosives into a neighboring country.
Shortly before 5 a.m., the driver said he was surrounded by two cars while driving along Rodoanelle Mario Cobas (Rodoanel SP 021). Police Chief Marcio Fruhe told reporters that six suspects got out of the vehicle and three of them entered the interior of the truck.
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The victims said they were carrying long weapons and intended to steal the truck carrying the weapons.
One of them took control of the car for several kilometers and forced the driver to make a phone call. At the 44km mark, the victim got into a fistfight with the attackers.
The suspects then tied the victim to a mock bomb and abandoned the truck across the road. So far, none of the six have been found.
When police arrived at the scene around 5:40 a.m., they found the driver in a state of shock. Investigators, along with other drivers, gathered information at the scene that the truck contained a bomb. Therefore, PM’s elite team, Special Tactical Action Group (GATE), was activated. When they arrived at the vehicle, they confirmed the bomb was a fake.
The driver, still in a state of shock, was taken to the Itapecerica da Serra General Hospital in the early afternoon. At the end of the day, he gave a statement to the civilian police investigating the incident.
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Traffic jam this Wednesday morning (12/11) exceeds 10km
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The driver reported being kidnapped and forced to stop the truck.
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The outside lanes are closed, but the inside lanes are also slow.
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According to Artesp, the incident began at around 5:45 a.m. this Wednesday (12/11).
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A truck crosses the road at km 44 of Rodoaner, Itapecerica da Seja.
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What you need to know
Despite the victim’s testimony and a preliminary investigation by civilian police, questions remain about the attempted theft of the truck.
Police were accessing security cameras along the highway until late Wednesday afternoon, trying to determine the moment the driver approached, but they have not yet located the perpetrator or the group.
The destination of the weapons the suspects claimed to have is still unknown. What is the criminal’s plan to use the device? It also revealed why the group gave up on action even after strapping victims to imitation bombs.
Additionally, it is unclear whether the truck was targeted or chosen for convenience. Police and the transport company responsible for the trip said the large vehicle was empty. The vehicle belonged to Syntrex and was electronically monitored by the company.
What does the carrier say?
“The truck returned empty to our headquarters in São Bernardo do Campo after delivering a shipment from one of our customers,” Syntrex emphasized in a statement.
“It is noted that the driver properly complied with all legal and safety procedures, including in particular the information obtained through the vehicle’s electronic monitoring service, such as rest and travel times and appropriate speed,” he said.
The company also emphasized that it maintains “full monitoring with telemetry, real-time tracking, and internal security protocols in compliance with international standards for road freight transport, including international operations.”
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