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The photographer

A photographer who witnessed the results of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has described how community members returned with disfigured remains of the deceased individuals.

The casualties "kept piling up: the count kept increasing", the photographer reported. They included those of police officers.

One of the bodies had been decapitated - others were "completely mutilated", he explained. Numerous victims displayed what appeared to be knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives in the Tuesday operation targeting an illegal organization - the deadliest such raid Rio has experienced.

The eyewitness reported that he was first alerted about the operation in the early hours by residents living in Alemão, who contacted him alerting him gunfire had erupted.

The eyewitness traveled to the Getúlio Vargas hospital, where the victims were coming in.

Itan explained that security forces blocked media personnel from going into the affected area, where the police action were occurring.

"Security forces created a barrier and said: 'The press cannot proceed beyond this point'."

But Itan, who was raised in the area, reported he was able to enter into the restricted zone, where he continued until dawn.

He reported during the night, community members commenced searching the elevated terrain that separates Penha from the adjacent Alemão area for loved ones who had been missing after the operation.

Community members from the Penha area arranged the recovered bodies in a public space - and Itan's photos display the response of the people there.

"The violence of the situation shook me deeply: the sorrow of loved ones, women collapsing, pregnant wives, crying, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

Bruno Itan

The governor of the region announced that the extensive law enforcement effort deploying about 2,500 officers was designed to halting a criminal group called Red Command from increasing their control.

Originally, the Rio state government claimed that "60 suspects along with four officers" had been killed in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that early calculations suggests that 117 individuals have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to the poor, has put the overall count of casualties at 132.

According to researchers, Red Command is the only criminal group that in the past few years has managed to increase its control in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations nationally, alongside a rival criminal group, and has a history spanning over five decades.

Based on Brazilian journalist a specialist, who has been covering illegal operations in Rio for years, the criminal organization "works as a system" with area gang leaders affiliating with the group and serving as "business partners".

The gang focuses mainly on illegal drug trade, while also dealing in firearms, gold, energy resources, alcohol cigarettes.

Based on official reports, gang members possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The state leader of the region, the political leader, characterized Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as brave public servants.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the operation has faced scrutiny from UN human rights officials saying it was "shocked".

At a news conference the following day, the state leader defended the police force.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We intended to take suspects into custody without harm," he said.

He continued that the circumstances intensified due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It resulted of the resistance they executed and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The state leader additionally stated that the casualties shown by residents in the area had been "tampered with".

Via a statement on online platforms, he claimed that particular individuals had been stripped of the camouflage clothing he said they had been wearing "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force further reported that "camouflage clothing, body armor, and arms" had been removed from the bodies and showed footage appearing to show a man stripping military attire {off a corpse