POLICE in Spain and Romania have freed 14 women who were sexually exploited, beaten and humiliated.
A joint probe between the Policia Nacional and their Romanian counterparts coordinated by Europol saw nine people arrested in Alzira and one in Valencia, along with five arrests in Romania.
Three of those detained in Spain have been jailed while two of the gang’s victims were rescued in Alzira.
Victims were recruited online creating profiles on social media and dating apps to show they had a romantic interest in a woman- known by police as the ‘Lover Boy’ method
Rather than finding romance, the women were forced into prostitution on public roads and had to live in poor conditions.
If they did not earn between €300 and €400 per day, they were beaten up, had their heads shaved, and forced to sleep on the floor under the pimp’s bed.
Mistreatment also included being ordered to to go naked onto a balcony in the middle of winter and physical assault by being whipped with telephone cords- all while still being forced into have sex.
Gang bosses laundered all the profits made from exploiting their victims into buying high-end properties and cars.
Money was transferred back to Romania via banks and agencies.
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