João Acácio Pereira da Costa, the “Red Light Bandit”

João Acácio Pereira da Costa became famous as the “Bandido da Luz Vermelha”—the Red Light Bandit—during a wave of home invasions in São Paulo in the 1960s. His name became inseparable from sensational newspaper coverage and later from Brazilian cinema. The underlying criminal record was substantial: he was convicted of four murders, seven attempted murders and dozens of robberies.

A concise timeline

1. Early–mid 1960s
   A wave of burglaries hits São Paulo

   The offender becomes known for late-night home invasions and a red flashlight.

2. August 1967
   Acácio is arrested

   Police capture him in Curitiba under a false identity.

3. Late 1960s
   Convictions follow

   He receives convictions for murders, attempted murders and robberies.

4. August 1997
   Released after about 30 years

   The legal maximum then applicable ends his imprisonment.

5. January 1998
   Acácio is killed in Santa Catarina

   He dies months after release.

The red flashlight becomes a signature

The nickname came from a flashlight with a red lens associated with some of the burglaries. News coverage turned that detail into a criminal brand, helping create one of the first modern Brazilian crime celebrities.

A long burglary spree

Acácio targeted wealthy homes, often during the early morning hours. He used disguises and varied methods, which initially contributed to police theories that several different offenders might be responsible.

Identification and arrest

Investigators eventually connected fingerprints and other evidence to Acácio. He was arrested in Curitiba in August 1967 while using a false identity.

Convictions and an enormous nominal sentence

Court records and historical reporting state that he was convicted of four murders, seven attempted homicides and 77 robberies, producing a nominal sentence of more than 350 years. Under the law then in force, he served roughly three decades before release.

Crime, media and myth

The 1968 film O Bandido da Luz Vermelha transformed the story into a landmark of Brazilian Cinema Marginal. That cultural afterlife is one reason the case remains searchable today—but the film is an artistic response, not a factual reconstruction of the crimes.