New details which have emerged in the aftermath of Brazil's deadliest police operation are casting doubts over whether the raid really struck at the heart of one of the country's most powerful criminal gangs, as was its stated aim.
One hundred and twenty one people, among them four police officers, were killed in the raid on 28 October in Rio de Janeiro.
The governor of Rio de Janeiro state, Claudio Castro, described the police operation as a success, posting a photo showing the more than 100 rifles seized by police.
But rights groups have sharply criticised the security forces pointing to the high death toll and what they have described as the brutality of their actions.
The operation was the largest ever carried out by Rio's security forces and saw 2,500 officers deployed to the Alemão and Penha neighbourhoods.
It targeted the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) criminal gang, which rules over the nine-million-square-metre area.
Rio's public safety secretary, Victor dos Santos, told Reuters that the goal of the operation had been to carry out scores of arrest warrants issued by prosecutors.
However, BBC Brasil found inconsistencies in the operation's effectiveness, with none of the deceased matching the list of suspects provided by prosecutors.
Residents reported that daily life remained unchanged post-raid, seeing armed gang members patrolling their community even as the bodies of the deceased were being removed.
Comando Vermelho maintains strict control over the lives of residents, dictating everything from transportation to clothing, further illustrating the ineffectiveness of violent police intervention in breaking the gang's hold.
With the state governor's approval rating rising post-raid and additional operations planned, questions linger about the balance between police action and the welfare of local communities facing relentless gang violence.
