Two police officers among trio arrested today
Three people, including two municipal police officers in Lisbon, have been arrested today as part of an investigation into the crime of trafficking in human beings and aggravated pimping.
In an announcement in the form of a statement, the Lisbon Metropolitan Command said that “as part of the investigation, two police officers were identified, currently working for the Lisbon Municipal Police, who are believed to be linked to the business of exploiting women for prostitution”.
The investigation has been running “for about a year and a half” and has identified a structure that “exploited women for prostitution, subjecting them to degrading and inhumane conditions, forcing them to work almost permanently, limiting their freedom and self-determination”.
According to the statement, house searches were carried out on Wednesday in the Greater Lisbon area and in the Algarve, with the aim of gathering evidence.
The structure investigated and now uncovered is made up of a woman who ‘ran the business and had several collaborators’, both in the space used for prostitution and as a support network.
The woman is understood to be the third person arrested.
According to the PSP, seven house searches were carried out on Wednesday – six at the suspects’ homes and one at the place used for prostitution.
Searches were also carried out at the Lisbon Municipal Police base, where the two policemen currently under investigation work.
The first judicial interrogation of the three arrested is scheduled for today.
Source: LUSA
