Brazilian gang steals $800,000 worth of tablets, laptops from São Paulo’s Guarulhos airport

GlobalPost

SAO PAULO, Brazil — An armed Brazilian gang stole $800,000 worth of tablets and laptops from the cargo terminal at São Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport.

The robbery was carried out by a group of 10 men who arrived at the airport in a truck on Sunday night. Some were wearing fake security guard uniforms.

More from GlobalPost: Photojournalists orchestrate their own protest in Brazil

The gang was able to overpower airport security and took two guards hostage, holding them in a security booth, while the other six were forced to load the 59 boxes of mostly tablets, as well as other electronics, onto the truck.

The entire operation, which started somewhere between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. local time, took just over half an hour.

Brazilian international airline TAM confirmed in a statement that its cargo terminal was robbed and that "we are taking all possible measures and collaborating with investigations being conducted by police."

Officers took witness statements until 4 a.m., but no arrests have been made. Police said they would be using security camera footage to try to identify the members of the gang who carried out the robbery.

Help keep The World going strong!

The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.

Make a gift today to help us reach our $25,000 goal and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer.