Police arrest group that scammed R$ 16 million in a company in the PV sector

A Civil police from Santa Catarina disarticulated, this Tuesday (11), a gang involved in theft of photovoltaic panels and loss of more than R$16 million caused to a company from Itajaí (SC).  

In total, orders were complied with search and seizure in five states: Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Roraima and Federal District, with the arrest of seven men suspected of involvement in the scheme.

No Mato Grosso do Sul was made to arrest of a dispatcher who was responsible for the fraudulent transfer of trucks and semi-trailers, which were registered in the name of other people in an attempt to mislead the police and the company responsible for the freight. 

In other states, the suspects of leading the group and the drivers were arrested who removed the loads of photovoltaic modules from this and other companies in Santa Catarina. 

In Minas Gerais, six trucks and six semi-trailers used in cargo thefts in different locations were seized, in addition to a large amount of cash. 

According to Osnei Valdir de Oliveira, delegate of the Civil Police of Santa Catarina, The arrests made were important to prevent other crimes from continuing to occur, since those involved were responsible for planning and providing financial support for the thefts. 

Also according to the delegate, crimes involving solar energy panels had a “significant increase since the beginning of the year across the country, notably due to the wide use of this energy matrix and the high added value of these loads”, he highlighted.

Operation Blackout

The arrest of the seven men is part of the 3rd phase of the “Blackout” operation, created to identify the criminals responsible for stealing photovoltaic modules. 

In the 1st phase, arrest and search and seizure warrants were served in the State of Goiás, where a driver suspected of involvement in the thefts was arrested. In the 2nd phase, the arrest of a second driver was carried out in Rio Grande do Norte. 

“With the previous phases cleared and the investigations deepening, it was possible to identify those suspected of being leaders of the group”, informed delegate Oliveira.