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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who documented the results of a massive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has described how community members brought back disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The bodies "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", the eyewitness described. Among them were security forces.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - while others appeared "completely mutilated", he explained. Many also had evidence of knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims were killed in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the bloodiest action the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan explained that he initially learned to the raid early on Tuesday by local people living in Alemão, who reached out alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness went to a local medical facility, where the bodies were arriving.

Itan explained that the police stopped members of the press from going into the affected area, where the security measures were taking place.

"Security forces established a perimeter and declared: 'Media representatives doesn't get past here'."

Nevertheless, the eyewitness, who was raised in the area, explained he succeeded to enter into the cordoned-off area, where he stayed until the next morning.

He explained during the night, community members began to search the elevated terrain that borders Penha from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members who had been missing since the police raid.

Residents from the Penha area proceeded to place the located casualties in a square - the documented evidence reveal the response of the people there.

"The harsh reality of it all impacted me deeply: the pain of relatives, women collapsing, women carrying children, weeping, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The official of the state announced that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 officers was intended to preventing an illegal organization known as the criminal faction from growing their influence.

At first, local officials maintained that sixty alleged criminals plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed in the raid.

They have since said that early calculations shows that 117 individuals have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to low-income residents, has calculated the overall count of fatalities to be 132.

Based on expert analysis, the criminal organization is the only criminal group that recently has been able to make territorial gains across the region.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs in the country, alongside a rival criminal group, and has a history spanning over five decades.

According to correspondent a specialist, who has long reported on crime in Rio over many years, the criminal organization "works as a system" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and becoming "business partners".

The gang concentrates largely on narcotics distribution, while also dealing in firearms, gold, petroleum products, beverages and tobacco.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and officials reported that throughout the operation, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of the region, the political leader, labeled organization participants as criminal extremists and referred to the security forces who died during the operation as "heroes".

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the operation has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials stating they were "horrified".

In a media appearance the following day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"We did not plan to kill anyone. We wanted to detain everyone safely," he declared.

He further explained that the events worsened as the individuals fought back: "It was a consequence of the resistance they implemented and the excessive violence by the illegal group."

The state leader further reported that the bodies shown by residents in Penha had been "tampered with".

In a post on online platforms, he claimed that some of them had been taken of military-style attire he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation to security forces".

A police official representing security forces additionally stated that tactical gear, protective equipment, and weapons" were stripped from the bodies and showed footage appearing to show a man cutting camouflage clothing {off a corpse