With the start of the colonial war in the then Portuguese colonies of Guinea, Angola and Mozambique, the Portuguese secret police PIDE extended their activities to the territories of the colonies. The PIDE confiscated the building and established its seat there. During the colonial war many resistance fighters were tortured in this building. The Mozambican poet José Craveirinha tells of his experiences in the house in three of his works. Other known inmates were, among others, Rui Knopfli and Malangatana Ngwenya.