Robbers tie residents up at home and escape with a safe containing R$80,000; seven are arrested the next day in MG

Seven people were arrested on Thursday (10) on suspicion of involvement in a robbery at a home in the Jardim dos Andrades neighborhood, in Patos de Minas, which occurred on Wednesday (9). On that occasion, three residents, aged 79, 51, and 48, were held at gunpoint and tied up. A safe containing around R$ 80,000 in cash and R$ 20,000 in checks, as well as the family's car, were stolen.

According to the Military Police (PM), the suspects were identified after tracking the stolen vehicle and the car used to support the robbers.

One man was arrested on BR-365, in Patos de Minas; two in Patrocínio; and another three in a hotel in Varjão de Minas—all municipalities in the Alto Paranaíba region. A seventh individual, suspected of having participated in planning the crime, was also arrested.

With the group, more than R$ 61,000 was recovered and a replica firearm was seized.

g1 contacted the Civil Police to ask if the arrests had been confirmed and to get more details about the investigation, but had not received a response by the latest update of this report.

According to the PM, on Wednesday morning (9), the force was called by residents of a building who reported hearing cries for help coming from a house.

At the scene, military police found the victims: a 79-year-old man, a 48-year-old man, and a 51-year-old woman. According to the residents, two men arrived at the property and announced the robbery. One of them was armed.

According to reports, the victims' hands were tied with bedsheets and extension cords. The elderly man stated that he was slapped and punched, as well as choked and threatened with death by the criminals.

The residents also said that the robbers asked about a safe inside the home. Having received no answers, they located the object on their own, loaded it into the family's car, and fled.

According to the PM, the safe contained R$ 80,000 in cash and around R$ 20,000 in checks. Three pairs of sneakers were also taken.

The victims had bruises resulting from the assaults, but refused medical treatment.

After the robbery was reported, the PM received information that a car had been used to support the criminals' escape. The officers then determined that two men had been seen removing a safe from the trunk of a vehicle and heading down a road leading to the rural area.

During the searches, officers found checkbooks and documents with the victims' notes along the roadside, which were seized.

On Thursday (10), police managed to track the car used to support the robbers' escape. The vehicle was pulled over on BR-365 and the driver was arrested. Using information obtained during the stop, officers continued their search for the remaining individuals involved.

Another car, identified as being used by suspects in the robbery, was seen leaving Varjão de Minas, passing through Patos de Minas, and heading toward Patrocínio, where it was intercepted. Two men were arrested, and approximately R$ 15,000 in cash was seized from them.

The search continued in Varjão de Minas, where three suspects were staying at a hotel. Upon noticing the police presence, they attempted to flee into a wooded area, but were located and arrested.

Approximately R$ 46,000 in cash was seized from them. In addition, officers found a replica firearm resembling a .380 caliber pistol hidden under dry leaves.

The seventh suspect is identified as a possible participant in planning the crime. The PM did not state where or under what circumstances the arrest took place.

In total, R$ 61,299.50 in cash, four cell phones, a replica firearm, and the vehicles used by the suspects were seized.