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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who witnessed the aftermath of a large-scale Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has described how local people came back with mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The victims "kept coming: the numbers kept rising", the photographer stated. They included those of police officers.

A particular victim was discovered headless - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he said. Several bodies showed evidence of blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives in the Tuesday operation against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness stated that he initially learned to the raid in the early hours by local people from the Alemão area, who sent him messages alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness went to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the bodies were being brought.

The photographer stated that security forces prevented journalists from going into the affected area, where the police action were occurring.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and said: 'Media representatives doesn't get past here'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in the community, reported he succeeded to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed through the night.

He reported during the night, local residents began to search the hillside that borders the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for loved ones who had been missing after the operation.

Community members from the Penha area organized the discovered victims in an open area - and Itan's photos reveal the response of the gathered crowd.

"The harsh reality of what occurred impacted me a lot: the sorrow of loved ones, women collapsing, pregnant wives, sobbing, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The governor of the state announced that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 officers was intended to halting an illegal organization referred to as Comando Vermelho from growing their influence.

Originally, the Rio state government stated that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" lost their lives in the operation.

Officials subsequently stated that their "preliminary" count suggests that 117 alleged criminals lost their lives.

Rio's public defender's office, that offers legal help to the poor, has calculated the final tally of people killed as 132.

Based on expert analysis, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has been able to expand its territory in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is widely considered among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, alongside First Capital Command, featuring a timeline spanning over five decades.

According to correspondent a specialist, with extensive experience documenting crime in Rio extensively, Red Command "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and serving as "commercial associates".

The gang concentrates largely on illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking weapons, valuable minerals, petroleum products, alcohol cigarettes.

Per law enforcement statements, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and officials reported that while the action was underway, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the state, the political leader, characterized Red Command members as criminal extremists and described the four police officers fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of fatalities in the operation has come in for criticism from UN human rights officials saying it was "appalled".

At a news conference the following day, Governor Castro supported law enforcement.

"It wasn't our intention to result in deaths. We intended to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He further explained that the circumstances worsened as the individuals had retaliated: "It resulted of the counterattack they executed and the excessive violence by those criminals."

The governor also said that the casualties presented by community members in Penha were "altered".

Via a statement through digital channels, he said that certain victims had been taken of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation to security forces".

A police official from the police department further reported that tactical gear, vests, and firearms" were taken away from the victims and displayed evidence apparently demonstrating a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse