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Seven killed in shootout in Rio de Janeiro

Seven suspected drug traffickers were killed in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro city in two clashes with a rival criminal gang…

Seven killed in shootout in Rio de Janeiro

Representational image (PHOTO: Getty Images)

Seven suspected drug traffickers were killed in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro city in two clashes with a rival criminal gang and the police, officials said.

The shootout on Saturday took place in the favela (slum area) of Caju, close to the port of Rio de Janeiro, when a drug trafficking group tried to encroach on the territory controlled by a rival group, resulting in an intense firefight, Xinhua reported.

Upon being notified, military police officers arrived on the scene, and took on both armed gangs.

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The shootouts left seven persons killed, while the police arrested 11 people, and seized 14 firearms, 790 rounds of ammunition, four grenades, two radio communicators and a number of bullet proof jackets.

President Michel Temer has dispatched thousands of extra police personnel and soldiers to the city to bring the violence under control.

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