A woman aged 30 was arrested by the police on suspicion that she trafficked persons to Cyprus and supervised them there. She is allegedly the member of an international criminal group dealing with trafficking in persons, IPN reports.

According to a communiqué of the General Police Inspectorate, it was established that the procurers promised young women jobs of waiters in Cyprus and monthly salaries of US$1,500-2,000. When they arrived in Cyprus, they were dispossessed of identification documents and threatened with violence. For the accumulated debts, the girls were forced for provide sexual services for eight months.

If the victims refused to prostitute themselves, they were obliged to recruit other girls and were released only when the new victims arrived. The police managed to repatriate five victims aged between 20 and 25, who had been sexually exploited in Cyprus.

Police officers of the Center for Combating Trafficking in Persons and of the National Investigation Inspectorate arrested the woman when she came to Moldova to recruit a group of girls. In accordance with the Moldovan legislation, trafficking in persons is punished with 5 to 12 years in jail.