Kidnapped Romania ‘slaves’ rescued

Dozens of vulnerable men and boys were kidnapped, chained up, whipped, fed scraps of food, and forced into manual labour or fighting for entertainment over an eight-year period in rural southern Romania, prosecutors said.

Three men and two boys aged 10 to 12 were found chained up and were rescued by police in the mountain town of Berevoiesti during searches yesterday at the homes of suspects — members of an extended Roma family. Some 160 police and prosecutors took part in the raid.

Organised crime prosecutors said the investigation involved 90 suspects who they say exploited around 40 people with physical and mental disabilities or who were very poor.