Suspect in 480 million reais fraud arrested in Bahia after a year on the run
A 47-year-old man investigated for electronic fraud and money laundering was arrested in Banzaê, Bahia, after fleeing Operation Cineris in August 2025.
Fugitive from Operation Cineris captured in Bahian municipality after a year of searches
A 47-year-old man investigated for being part of a criminal organisation specialising in electronic fraud and money laundering was arrested on Thursday (12/11) in Banzaê, in the interior of Bahia, as reported by metropoles.com. The suspect had been on the run since August 2025, when São Paulo's Civil Police launched Operation Cineris to dismantle the group, which was responsible for moving approximately 480 million reais in a matter of months.
The arrest resulted from intelligence work carried out by São Paulo's Civil Police with support from Bahia's security forces. Officers located the suspect in a property in the municipality and executed a preventative arrest warrant issued by São Paulo's Justice system.
The investigation was conducted by the 1st Police District of Rosana, in the district of Primavera, with support from the Police Intelligence Unit of Presidente Prudente (UIP-8), as well as the Territorial Police Station of Banzaê and teams from Bahia's Military Police.
Fraud began with a victim losing 30 thousand reais
The investigation began in 2022, after a resident of Rosana, in the interior of São Paulo, lost more than 30 thousand reais in an internet fraud. The victim was convinced to make supposed investments on a product sales website, with the promise of receiving commissions for transactions.
Following the report, investigators identified a financial structure set up by the group to conceal resources obtained illegally. Money transferred by victims was deposited in digital accounts opened in the names of third parties and almost immediately transferred to shell companies that concealed the origin of the funds before distributing them to members of the organisation.
The scale of the scheme caught the attention of officers: in less than seven days, just eight bank accounts received more than 1.5 million reais. A single company linked to the group moved approximately 480 million reais in a matter of months, in nearly 5,000 transactions. The investigation identified victims in at least ten Brazilian states.
First phase of the operation arrested four members
The first phase of Operation Cineris was carried out on 27 August 2025. On that occasion, 22 search and seizure warrants and seven preventative arrest warrants were executed, resulting in the detention of four members of the central nucleus of the organisation.
During the searches, officers seized mobile phones, bank cards, documents and cash. In a warehouse rented by a couple under investigation, 28 mobile phones were found. At the couple's residence, agents also located the deed to a high-end apartment in Mooca, in the east zone of São Paulo, purchased in June 2025.
In another property, in Jardim Saúde, in the south zone of the capital, investigators discovered a secret passage leading to an underground bunker in the final stages of construction.
Asset freezing and charges
As the investigation progressed, six other suspects were charged with criminal organisation, electronic fraud and money laundering. The Justice system authorised new preventative arrests, the freezing of funds up to 5 million reais in accounts belonging to two companies linked to the scheme, the suspension of activities of these companies, and the freezing of vehicles and properties.
Civil Police continue searching for other suspects with outstanding arrest warrants. Information can be reported anonymously through Disque Denúncia, by telephone 181.
Source: Google News BR — São Paulo