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The eyewitness

A reporter who observed the aftermath of a massive Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro has reported how residents came back with mutilated bodies of people who lost their lives.

The casualties "continued arriving: the numbers kept rising", Bruno Itan described. Among them were security forces.

A particular victim was found without a head - others were "severely damaged", he reported. Several bodies showed evidence of knife injuries.

More than 120 people lost their lives in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation the municipality has seen.

Bruno Itan stated that residents first notified him about the operation early on Tuesday by residents from the Alemão area, who contacted him telling him there was a shoot-out.

The reporter traveled to the healthcare center, where the bodies were coming in.

Itan explained that security forces stopped members of the press from entering the operation zone, where the operation were occurring.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and declared: 'Media representatives cannot proceed beyond this point'."

However, the photographer, who grew up in the community, explained he was able to make his way into the cordoned-off area, where he continued until the next morning.

He described that evening, community members commenced searching the mountainous area that borders the Penha neighborhood from the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Residents living in Penha proceeded to place the located casualties in an open area - and Itan's photos show the reaction of the people there.

"The harsh reality of what occurred affected me profoundly: the pain of loved ones, mothers fainting, women carrying children, weeping, angry family members," the eyewitness remembered.

The eyewitness

The state leader of the state declared that the massive police operation involving around 2,500 officers was intended to stopping a criminal group referred to as Comando Vermelho from growing their influence.

At first, local officials claimed that sixty alleged criminals along with four officers" lost their lives in the operation.

Authorities later reported that initial estimates indicates that 117 "suspects" have been killed.

Rio's public defender's office, that gives legal support to the poor, has put the final tally of casualties as 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity that in the past few years has managed to increase its control across the region.

It is widely considered as a major illegal faction nationally, in company with First Capital Command, and has a history spanning over five decades.

According to Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares, with extensive experience documenting illegal operations in Rio over many years, Red Command "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and acting as "commercial associates".

The organization focuses mainly on drug trafficking, while also dealing in firearms, precious metals, energy resources, alcohol and tobacco.

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

The official of the region, the government representative, characterized Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and described the four police officers killed in the raid as courageous individuals.

But the number of fatalities in the operation has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressing they felt "appalled".

During a press briefing the next day, the state leader supported law enforcement.

"There was no objective to kill anyone. We aimed to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He added that the events had escalated because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It resulted of the retaliation they executed and the overwhelming response by the illegal group."

The state leader further reported that the casualties shown by residents in the area had been "manipulated".

In a post through digital channels, he said that some of them had been removed of tactical gear that he stated they possessed "to redirect responsibility to security forces".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force also said that "camouflage clothing, vests, and arms" were taken away from the casualties and showed footage apparently demonstrating a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse