RIO DE JANEIRO: At least nine people were killed in a police operation on Wednesday, as security forces targeted criminal gangs in the Complexo da Penha group of favelas in Rio de Janeiro. The operation was part of the ongoing war against heavily armed drug gangs in Brazil, which has seen a series of deadly raids across the country.
According to Rio state police, officers were conducting a raid on a high-level meeting of organized crime leaders when they came under attack and returned fire. The clash resulted in nine deaths and eleven suspects being wounded, who were subsequently taken to the hospital for treatment. A police officer was also injured during the operation but is in stable condition.
Police Abuses in Brazil
The recent deaths add to the growing concerns over alleged police abuses in Brazil, prompting calls for independent investigations into human rights violations by security forces during their fight against drug gangs. In the past six days, a total of 42 people have been killed in police operations against drug gangs, with 14 deaths in Sao Paulo state and 19 in the northeastern state of Bahia.
