Two pseudo-rehab centers where people were held by force were exposed in Kharkiv

Author:
Anastasiia Zaikova
Date:

Two pseudo-rehab centers were exposed in Kharkiv, where people were held by force and forced to work.

This was reported to the regional prosecutorʼs office.

During searches of two private homes in the Slobidsky and Saltivsky districts, law enforcement officers released the victims. According to the investigation, the network operated for about five years under the guise of a charitable organization that allegedly helped people with addictions.

Investigators found that from 20 to 60 people were in each house at the same time. New "patients" were sought among people with addictions and those who found themselves in difficult life circumstances. Relatives were promised treatment and rehabilitation, for which they charged from UAH 5 to 25 000 per month.

At the same time, no assistance was provided to the people. They were taken away from their documents and phones, and forced to work for free, as well as study religious texts.

The investigation believes that the organizer ran the entire network, two of his accomplices controlled the detainees, and three more were former "patients" who became guards. They were informed of suspicions of imprisonment by conspiracy.

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