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Bruno Itan

A photographer who observed the consequences of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has described how residents came back with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The bodies "kept coming: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan described. They included law enforcement personnel.

One of the bodies was discovered headless - while others appeared "severely damaged", he explained. Many also had evidence of stab wounds.

Over 120 individuals were killed in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation the municipality has seen.

The eyewitness explained that he was first alerted to the raid in the early hours by residents from the Alemão area, who contacted him alerting him there was a shoot-out.

The photographer went to a local medical facility, where the bodies were being brought.

Itan explained that law enforcement prevented journalists from accessing the operation zone, where the police action were taking place.

"Security forces created a barrier and declared: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who grew up in the area, explained he succeeded to make his way past the security perimeter, where he remained until the next morning.

He explained that evening, community members started looking the elevated terrain that borders the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members whose whereabouts were unknown after the operation.

Community members of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the discovered victims in a square - the photographer's images display the response of the people there.

"The violence of what occurred impacted me deeply: the sorrow of loved ones, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, weeping, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The governor of the state stated that the massive police operation with approximately 2,500 security personnel was designed to stopping a criminal group called Comando Vermelho from increasing their control.

At first, local officials maintained that "60 suspects plus four law enforcement personnel" had been killed in the operation.

Authorities later reported that early calculations indicates that 117 individuals lost their lives.

The legal assistance organization, that offers legal help to the poor, has calculated the total number of casualties to be 132.

Per investigative findings, the gang stands as the sole illegal faction which in recent years has succeeded to make territorial gains across the region.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations in Brazil, alongside another major gang, featuring a timeline spanning over five decades.

According to Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares, who has been covering criminal activity in the city over many years, Red Command "works as a system" with area gang leaders joining the organization and serving as "business partners".

The criminal group engages primarily in illegal drug trade, additionally trafficking weapons, gold, petroleum products, beverages smoking products.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates have substantial firearms and officials reported that throughout the operation, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of Rio state, the political leader, characterized organization participants as drug terrorists and referred to the security forces fatally injured in the action as brave public servants.

But the number of casualties during the raid has received condemnation from international human rights authorities saying it was "shocked".

In a media appearance on Wednesday, Governor Castro defended the police force.

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He further explained that the events had escalated due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It resulted of the resistance they executed and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The official further reported that the casualties presented by community members in Penha had been "manipulated".

In a post on online platforms, he claimed that certain victims had been taken of tactical gear he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation onto the police".

Felipe Curi from the police department also said that "camouflage clothing, vests, and arms" were stripped from the victims and displayed evidence seemingly depicting a person removing tactical gear {off a corpse