SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian police killed six suspects Friday during an operation to dismantle a gang accused of planning large-scale bank robberies, authorities said.

Police in the southern state of Parana said that officers raided the gang’s hideout at a ranch in Ponta Grossa, where the suspects were allegedly planning to rob a bank or an armored vehicle.

The suspects, who had been under surveillance since December, opened fire as officers arrived, police said. Authorities reported seizing a .50-caliber machine gun, rifles and explosives at the site.

Large-scale bank heists have become common in Brazil in recent years, often involving hostages used as human shields. In October 2021, police killed 25 suspects in a similar operation targeting a gang. Two months earlier, in August 2021, robbers had terrorized another city, marching hostages through the streets and strapping some to their cars during their escape.