The Duisburg police arrested three men and two women on Thursday after a major raid for serious human trafficking. They are said to have recruited Polish workers since July 2022, housed them in Germany under desolate conditions and almost completely taken their wages because of alleged "debts".
Duisburg - More than 30 people were affected, it was a "mid-six-figure damage," police and prosecutors said.
Searches were carried out in Duisburg, Gelsenkirchen and Kempen (Viersen district). Arrest warrants had already been applied for against the two main Polish defendants, aged 35 and 50, and were executed immediately. The aggrieved workers would now have the opportunity to find their way into a regular everyday life and to pursue a now paid job in Germany, the statement said.
The accused are said to have promised the Polish workers in Duisburg a good job, a decent salary and decent accommodation. In fact, some of the apartments had neither electricity nor hot water. Nevertheless, the injured parties had to pay horrendous rents for this, as it was said.
According to police, the suspects collected the full salaries of the victims due to alleged debts for travel, accommodation and transfers to work. Only pocket money of about 50 euros a month is said to have been paid to them, according to the current state of investigation. In addition, there were penalties for unanswered calls or delays, for example.
Humiliations and physical assaults on the workers are also said to have occurred. The investigators allege aggravated human trafficking for labor exploitation, forced labor and dangerous bodily harm. Dpa
