Nine suspects arrested in Bahia rail‑track theft operation

A joint operation by the Bahia Military Police and the Federal Highway Police (PRF) detained nine people suspected of stealing metal rails from the abandoned Jaguarari railway in northern Bahia. The raid, conducted on Saturday 4 May, followed a tip that the stolen material was being moved to Petrolina, Pernambuco, via the BR‑407 highway.

Police set up roadblocks at Aroeira and near a local fuel station on the BR‑407. During the operation a truck carrying three occupants was stopped; officers found the stolen rails and tools used to cut the tracks. A second stop intercepted a passenger car with six occupants, all alleged participants in the scheme. Both vehicles were seized. All nine detainees were taken to the Territorial Police Station in Senhor do Bonfim. Adults were formally charged with theft, while the minors were processed in the presence of their legal guardians as required by law.