A 42-year-old woman from Cahul was arrested on suspicion that she exploited by labor at least ten old people carers from Moldova in Italy. She found jobs for the victims and paid only a small part of the salary to these for the work done by them, IPN reports.

According to the General Police Inspectorate, the suspect trafficked women aged between 30 and 70 in 2017-2023. She promised salaries of up to €800 a month to the victims, but paid much less to them when these worked in Italy, even €200 a month, as she kept the rest of the money in exchange for giving them work.

Moreover, the women worked overtime without being paid additionally and in the absence of work contracts. When the period of stay in Italy exceeded three month, the women were also threatened with denouncement to the authorities.

After one of the victims informed the Italian authorities, these made a request for legal assistance to prosecutors in Moldova. The investigations are conducted by a joint team consisting of Moldova prosecutors and representatives of Italian law enforcement agencies.

By a court decision, the woman was placed under house arrest, but prosecutors challenged the measure in the Chisinau Appeals Court and asked for remand detention for her so that she does not influence the other members of the criminal group who are to be held accountable.