The number of victims of the bloodiest police operation ever in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) has risen. This was reported by the Brazilian media, citing the police on Friday. Accordingly, the victims were 27 suspects and an officer from the anti-drug unit.
Previously, at least 25 people, including 24 suspects, had been killed in violent clashes between alleged members of drug gangs and the police in the Jacarezinho favela. The three other people died of their injuries in the hospital, according to the news agency “Agência Brasil”.
According to the news portal “G1”, which analyzed information from the state university UFF and the app “Fogo Cruzado” (crossfire), which collects data on armed violence, this was the police operation with the most deaths in the history of Rio de Janeiro.
Police operations in slums are prohibited
In July, the Supreme Court in Brasília suspended police operations in favelas during the corona pandemic. These are only allowed in “absolute exceptional cases”. Activists and relatives of victims protested, and the governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Claudio Castro, defended the operation. “The state government is most interested in clarifying the circumstances of the events in Jacarezinho,” said Castro.
The Jacarezinho favela is one of the bases of the “Comando Vermelho” (Red Command) in northern Rio, which it protects with barricades, among other things. Powerful criminal syndicates such as the “Comando Vermelho” and a number of smaller gangs are fighting in the slums to control drug trafficking and protection money. The violence continues to spill over to other parts of Rio. (SDA)