Married couple arrested in Callosa de Segura for sexual trafficking: two women freed
The Guardia Civil freed two women who were sexually exploited at a venue in Callosa de Segura (Alicante) and arrested a couple aged 59 and 66.
Couple arrested in Alicante for sexually exploiting two women recruited through false job offers
According to web.guardiacivil.es, officers from the armed institute freed two women who were victims of sexual exploitation and arrested a married couple aged 59 and 66 in Callosa de Segura (Alicante). The detainees face charges of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and unlawful detention.
The case began when one of the victims managed to alert the 112 emergency service through an acquaintance. The woman indicated that she was engaged in prostitution against her will at an establishment in the town, that she was being held there, that she was owed money, and that her documentation had not been returned to her. A Guardia Civil patrol from Callosa de Segura immediately attended the location and interviewed her.
The woman was taken to a specialist support centre for women. The investigation was then transferred to the Women-Minor Team (EMUME) of the Alicante Command, whose specialists took a statement from the victim given the seriousness of the facts.
The victim reported that she had been recruited through a false job offer: she had been promised employment as a waitress, salary and accommodation. Upon arrival at the establishment, she was told she would have to engage in prostitution to work there. Without documentation, without money and with nowhere to go, she was forced to accept. From that moment she remained under permanent control and without freedom of movement.
Officers searched the premises, an isolated building beside an interurban road that functioned as a bar on the ground floor and as a residence and place of exploitation on the upper floor. Inside, they arrested the two people responsible for the operation and located a second woman who was likewise exploited, who corroborated the testimony of the first. Both are currently in specialist resources providing support to trafficking victims.
During the search, officers seized extensive documentation attesting to the activity: notes with rates and services imposed on the women, 30,000 euros in cash hidden in the residence, six mobile phones and a laptop computer.
Initial analysis of that documentation made it possible to identify and locate a third victim, who is also receiving support. The examination of the seized material continues; investigators have identified some fifty identities of possible additional victims.
The 66-year-old man and his 59-year-old partner were brought before the Violence Against Women Section of the Court of First Instance in Orihuela, which ordered their remand in custody.
The Guardia Civil recalls that the telephone number 016 provides free and confidential assistance for all forms of violence against women, including trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, leaving no trace on the telephone bill. It is also possible to report situations of this type via 062, the AlertCops application or the anonymous citizen collaboration form on the Guardia Civil website.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)