Four arrested in people trafficking network in Germany and Austria

Vulnerable victims were transported abroad and forced into begging

European police agency Europol has carried out raids on people suspected of human trafficking. AP

Raids have been carried out across Europe to dismantle a people trafficking network which was luring vulnerable people and forcing them into street begging.

The gang is believed to have been recruiting people with physical and mental disabilities or in vulnerable positions in Romania and Hungary since 2017.

Victims were then transported to Germany and Austria where their identify documents were taken from them and they were forced into begging by the criminal gang. Two of the victims have died as a result of their treatment.

"The victims were misled by false promises about job opportunities in other European Union countries before instead being transported to Germany and Austria where they were forced into begging on the streets," Europe's crime agency Europol said.

"During a joint action day, four suspects were arrested and thirteen searches were carried out.

"The criminal network was particularly violent and it was abusing extremely vulnerable individuals."

Police have arrested four people in Germany, Hungary, Austria and Romania and raided seven locations in the four countries.

Officers seized €92,000 ($99,940) and 1 kilogram of gold.

"Since 2017, national authorities of the four countries concerned have investigated this family-based organised crime group," Europol said.

"This has included investigating group members of Romanian and Hungarian origin who were trafficking and exploiting victims in Austria and Germany.

"The victims of Hungarian and Romanian origin were particularly vulnerable as a result of alcohol addiction and homelessness. They were forced to beg in specific locations in a number of cities, including the German cities of Ingolstadt, Nurnberg and Berlin and the Austrian cities of Feldkirch, Linz, Bad Hall and Stayer.

"They were completely dependent on the criminal network and their documents were taken from them on arrival in foreign countries in which they did not speak the language."

Police say the gang made €200,000 from the victims and forced some of them to work as slaves.

"The criminal network provided them with a sandwich or just enough alcohol to survive the day, while simultaneously earning over €200,000 from the activities of the 11 victims," Europol said.

"The victims were subjected to inhumane treatment and living environments and endured violent behaviour at the hands of the suspects.

"Two of the victims died because of health-related issues while being exploited in extremely degrading conditions. The criminal gang also forced a similarly vulnerable person to work at their house and treated him as domestic slave."

Eurojust set up a joint team between Germany, Hungary, Romania and Europol in 2021 to investigate the gang.