Businessman is arrested suspected of ordering a crime that killed Hugo Moll by mistake

The Civil Police of Paraná (PCPR) unleashed on Friday a new phase of the investigation into the murder of businessman Hugo Moll, 39, and the attempted murder against the barber João Victor Pereira, in Ponta Grossa. At this stage of the investigation, a businessman was temporarily arrested on suspicion of being one of the perpetrators of the crime.

The attack took place on June 19, 2026, at a barber shop in the Cara-Cara region, in Ponta Grossa. According to the Civil Police, a man wearing a red helmet, blue jacket and dark pants entered the establishment armed with a 9 mm pistol and fired several shots.

Hugo was shot in the head and died still at the scene. João Victor, owner of the barbershop, was shot in the chest, received emergency care and remained hospitalized for more than 20 days. The young man survived the attack and was later discharged from the hospital.

Hugo Moll was killed by mistake.

The advance of the investigations brought a major turning point in the case. According to the delegate Luis Gustavo Timossi, of the Homicide Sector of the 13th Police Subdivision of Ponta Grossa, Hugo Gabriel Moll was not the man the criminals intended to kill.

Read also: Businessman killed in Ponta Grossa barbershop is buried this Saturday

The real target was a third individual investigated for involvement in drug trafficking. Images analyzed by the investigators indicated that this man left the barbershop about ten seconds before Hugo’s arrival.

Hugo was not even a regular customer of the establishment. According to information provided by the family at the time, he stopped at the scene casually to trim his beard before traveling with his 12-year-old son. Arriving just after the man wanted by the criminals left, he was mistaken for the target.

João Victor was reportedly shot, according to the investigative line presented by the Civil Police, in a possible attempt by the executioners to eliminate a witness to the crime.

Five suspects had already been arrested.

This is not the first operation carried out within the investigation. On July 28, the Civil Police, with the support of the Military Police, complied with five temporary arrest warrants and five search and apprehension warrants against those investigated for participation in the attack.

At the time, a 34-year-old man was named as responsible for organizing the action. Another investigator, 24, reportedly provided a point of support for the group and the weapons used. A third 27-year-old was reportedly involved in monitoring the target and driving the vehicle used in the escape.

Two other investigators, aged 25 and 19, were also arrested, but the Civil Police reported at the time that their specific participations still depended on complementary diligences.

To reach the suspects, investigators analyzed images of security cameras, data from the Muralha Digital system, information obtained during the diligences and results of forensics. The Civil Police classified the investigation as highly complex.

New phase targets possible sender

With the operation carried out on Friday, the investigation proceeds on another central point of the case: who would have ordered the murder.

The entrepreneur temporarily arrested is investigated for possible participation as one of the principals of the execution. Temporary detention is a precautionary measure used during the investigative phase and, by itself, does not represent a conviction.

So far, the identity of the entrepreneur does not appear in the information made public about this new stage. Nor was it officially detailed the possible link between the suspect arrested on Friday, the other investigators and the man who would be the real target of the attack.

The Civil Police must present new information as the proceedings progress, including elements on the motivation, the planning of the crime and the individual participation of the investigated. The BnT Online follows the case and will update the report once new details are confirmed by the authorities.