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The photographer

An eyewitness who documented the aftermath of a massive Brazilian police operation in the Brazilian city has recounted how residents returned with disfigured remains of people who lost their lives.

The victims "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan reported. The total contained those of police officers.

A particular victim was discovered headless - additional victims were "completely mutilated", he reported. Numerous victims displayed what he described as blade trauma.

Over 120 individuals lost their lives during the security action against a criminal group - the most lethal operation in the city.

The eyewitness stated that residents first notified him to the raid in the early hours by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out telling him there was a shoot-out.

The reporter went to a local medical facility, where the casualties were coming in.

The photographer stated that security forces prevented journalists from accessing the Penha neighborhood, where the security measures were occurring.

"Security forces created a barrier and said: 'Media representatives doesn't get past here'."

But Itan, who was raised in that neighborhood, explained he was able to gain access past the security perimeter, where he stayed through the night.

He explained that Tuesday night, area inhabitants started looking the elevated terrain that separates the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown since the police raid.

Community members from the Penha area proceeded to place the discovered victims in a public space - the documented evidence display the response of those present.

"The violence of what occurred affected me deeply: the grief of relatives, parents losing consciousness, women carrying children, sobbing, angry family members," the photographer recalled.

The eyewitness

The official of the region declared that the large-scale security action involving around 2,500 officers was designed to halting an illegal organization called the criminal faction from growing their influence.

Originally, state authorities claimed that sixty alleged criminals and four police officers" lost their lives in the raid.

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

The public legal service, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the overall count of casualties to be 132.

Based on expert analysis, the criminal organization stands as the sole illegal faction that in the past few years has succeeded to expand its territory across the region.

It is generally regarded among the biggest criminal organizations in the country, alongside a rival criminal group, featuring a timeline extending half a century.

According to reporter an expert, with extensive experience documenting criminal activity in the city over many years, the criminal organization "functions as a network" with local criminal leaders affiliating with the group and serving as "operational allies".

The organization concentrates largely on drug trafficking, but also smuggles firearms, gold, energy resources, liquor smoking products.

According to the authorities, criminal affiliates possess significant weaponry and authorities stated that during the raid, they encountered resistance via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The governor of the region, the government representative, characterized Red Command members as criminal extremists and described the law enforcement personnel fatally injured in the action as courageous individuals.

Nevertheless, the total of casualties in the security action has come in for criticism from international human rights authorities stating they were "shocked".

In a media appearance the following day, the state leader defended the police force.

"We did not plan to cause fatalities. We intended to arrest them all alive," he said.

He continued that the events had escalated due to the alleged criminals fought back: "It occurred of the counterattack they carried out and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The governor also said that the victims shown by residents in Penha had been "tampered with".

In a post on social media, he claimed that some of them had been removed of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation to security forces".

Felipe Curi from the police department further reported that "camouflage clothing, protective equipment, and firearms" were stripped from the victims and displayed evidence appearing to show an individual removing tactical gear {off a corpse