Romanian Police rescue dozens of slaves, detain suspects

(Vatican Radio) Romanian police have broken up a human trafficking gang in central Romania which misused children and other vulnerable people as slaves since at least 2008. 

The latest operation in which at least 40 people were rescued comes amid international pressure on the European Union member state to tackle organized crime.       

Listen to the report by Stefan Bos: 

Romanian police zoomed in on the mountain town of Berevoiesti. Special police forces made a horrific discovery in this area,some 150 kilometers northwest of the capital Bucharest: Video footage showed a man chained up at a home. And police found two other men and two boys aged between 10 and 12 in chains. They raided homes where they also discovered 50,000 euros and a kilo of gold. 

When the operation finished dozens of victims had been rescued. Organized-crime prosecutors believe some 90 suspects exploited and abused around 65 vulnerable people, some with physical and mental disabilities as well as impoverished people and children. 

Investigators say many of the victims have been held over eight years. In several cases, victims had reportedly been kidnapped near train and bus stations or even close to churches and from their homes. Now suspects were put in handcuffs. A shouting woman denied involvement, as she was carried away.

CAPTIVES AS SLAVES 

That's not what investigators believe. They say suspects like her used captives as slaves. The group allegedly forced many minors to work hard physical work and go begging in various large cities across Romania. Others had to log and sell wood, work as domestic slaves or look after animals. They were often often chained, whipped, beaten and threatened, refused food or made to eat off the ground. And they were coerced into fighting each other for entertainment. 

Some were reportedly stripped naked and doused with hot or cold water. Prosecutors suspect that several people were raped or otherwise sexually abused. They were locked up overnight to prevent them escaping. 

It was eventually Berevoiesti mayor Florin Bogdan who reportedly alerted authorities about suspicions of slavery in his town last year. But it apparently took months to monitor suspects till police finally took action.     

While a chief prosecutor, Valentin Preoteasa, has called the case "unprecedented" and "shocking in the 21th century", Romania has for a long time been under European Union pressure to tackle organized crime groups and corruption. 

Authorities say say those rescued in this latest anti-crime operation have been housed in centres and given food, showers and beds. 
The suspects who chained them now face being locked up themselves, in prison, for up to 20 years.