Brazilian police searching for stolen goods find two tanks
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 28 January, 2015, 10:43pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 28 January, 2015, 10:51pm
Associated Press in Sao Paulo
The hull of US-made M-41 tank amid vehicles.Photo: AFP
A Brazilian police raid to recover stolen cars and cargo came up with a more interesting find: two war tanks.
Police in Brazil's biggest city said on Tuesday that the engineless tanks were found inside a warehouse in Sacoma, a low-income district in Sao Paulo. Police also confiscated 500 television sets, car body parts and a recently stolen truck.
"It is unusual, to say the least, that police officers searching for stolen goods and cars, instead find two tanks," Police Lieutenant Andrei do Carmo told the Globo TV network. The army said in a statement the two tanks found on Monday had been auctioned off "without weapons or engines because they no longer had any use."
The statement said the tanks had been auctioned by Engesa, the Brazilian armoured vehicle manufacturer.
"We are investigating who placed the winning bid," it said
The statement did not say what sort of tanks they were or how old or operable they might be. Images published by local media show a treaded vehicle with five road wheels on each side. Phone calls to Engesa went unanswered.
A law enforcement officer said by telephone that the sons of the warehouse's owner told police that the tanks were purchased legally in an auction in 2003 and that they had all the needed documents to prove it.
The officer, who did not provide further details, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The warehouse's caretaker was taken into custody.
