Police officers are arrested for murdering five youths in Brazil after 'raking their car with gunfire... then planting weapon to make it look like self-defence'

 Disturbing images taken on the phones of bystanders shows the bullet-riddled vehicle and the bodies inside

Three police officers have been arrested for murder in Brazil over a savage shooting in which a car packed with youths was raked with gunfire.

All five victims, aged between 16 and 25, were left slumped in pools of blood after their car was peppered with at least 30 bullets while driving through a violent neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro. 

The police have also been accused of planting a weapon next to their bodies in an attempt to make the killings look like self-defence.

Disturbing images taken on the phones of bystanders shows the bullet-riddled vehicle and the blood-soaked dead bodies inside.

Horrified locals can be seen crying and shouting at the police officers who stand motionless near the vehicle.

According to family members of the victims, the young men were going home after a party on a Saturday night. 

Four of the officers have so far been arrested for their involvement in the case, three of whom are now accused of homicide and fraud.

They have been identified as Resende Viana Barbosa, Marcio Darcy Alves dos Santos and Antonio Carlos Goncalves Filho. 

The fourth officer, Fabio Pizza Oliveira da Silva, has been detained solely for fraud.

The fraud allegations came after a witness reported seeing the police officer plant a gun inside the car to pretend they were defending themselves after being shot at.

The victims were identified as Roberto de Souza and Carlos Eduardo da Silva Souza, both 16, Cleiton Correa de Souza, 18, Wesley Castro, 25, and 20-year-old Wilton Esteves Domingos Junior.

Family members of the victims said none of the youths had any dealings with drug trafficking groups operating in the region.  

Read more. Dailymail.co.uk