Three men from Nisporeni – son, father and grandfather – were detained on suspicion of forcing a disabled woman to beg for 16 years. Since 2008, the victim, who has no legs, had been allegedly transported to beg in several European states and also in Russia, IPN reports.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Special Cases, the 43-year-old victim, a mother of two, had no sources of livelihood. Her grandfather took advantage of her condition and organized her trafficking outside Moldova for begging. The scheme was taken over by his son, and later by his grandson. The three are 63, 42 and 21 years old.

The case was detected through the agency of the Romanian authorities. The son accused of trafficking the woman was detained in Suceava County. The woman-victim was found in the same house. The grandfather and grandson were detained in Nisporeni district.

According to preliminary information, the criminal activity brought them €400-€500 daily. The woman who beginning in the street and near shopping centers, with a sign that read “Folks, help me collect money for prosthetic legs”. But after about 16 years of begging, none of the three men investigated for trafficking the woman bought her prostheses.

Moreover, in order to avoid police investigations for trafficking in persons in states where she was forced to beg, a certificate showing that the woman-victim was married to a family member of the three was obtained.