World News | Germany: Woman Arrested in Forced Prostitution Probe
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Police raided sites in Germany on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a crime ring suspected of forcing Vietnamese people into prostitution after they were smuggled into the country.
Berlin, Mar 17 (AP) Police raided sites in Germany on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a crime ring suspected of forcing Vietnamese people into prostitution after they were smuggled into the country.
Berlin prosecutors and federal police said the suspects allegedly put the victims to work in nail studios, massage parlours and “brothel-like operations”.
Police said around 169 officers searched eight properties in Berlin, Hamburg and the Baltic Sea resort of Timmendorfer Strand. They said the raids results from an investigation launched in June.
The main suspect, a 43-year-old Vietnamese woman, was arrested at her home in Berlin. Police and prosecutors said she was known to authorities from previous trafficking cases.
A 25-year-old Vietnamese citizen and a 64-year-old German man are under investigation for the suspected trafficking of foreigners and forced prostitution.
The trio are accused of profiting from the illegal presence in Germany of eight women and two men who allegedly paid off debts to smugglers by working for the main suspect.
The suspects are also accused of engineering acknowledgements of paternity and sham marriages to secure legal residency in Germany for the immigrants. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)