Leaders of sexual exploitation gang held in Berlin

German and Hungarian investigators have arrested the bosses of a Hungarian sexual exploitation gang based in Berlin, the European law enforcement agency Europol said on Tuesday, reported dpa.

The suspects had been exploiting young women from Hungary and forcing them into prostitution for at least five years. Police raids took place in the German capital and Hungary last week, the agency said.

Three people were arrested, including a Hungarian couple in Berlin who are the alleged ringleaders. Two apartments had been searched and a car and electronic devices had been confiscated in the city.

Europol, based in The Hague, did not give details on the number of possible victims, but said the gang had been active since 2017.

The suspects had lured young Hungarian women from difficult social and economic backgrounds to Berlin with the promise of lucrative jobs. Once there, however, they were coerced into working as prostitutes on streets controlled by the gang.

They were forced to hand over their earnings and had to earn at least between €150 and €300 per day ($145 to $290). If they did not, they were psychologically and physically abused, the agency said.

One woman jumped out of a window while trying to escape. She was injured so severely that she had to be treated in hospital for nine months, according to the report.