RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL Young thief was accused of theft in the territory of a favela. The local gang took care of punishing him according to their law. They shot his hand through.
Most Brazilian favelas are hard-to-access areas on hills that are controlled by gangs. These gangs enforce their own laws and rules there. They also take care of enforcing them. Punishments are usually physical and for bigger offenses even deadly. The gangs do not introduce these rules because they would be humanitarian, but their purpose is to keep peace in the favela and not attract the attention of the police, which could threaten their drug business.
