British Police Rescue 3 Women Including One Malaysian Who Were Held Captive for 30 Years
The three were rescued in south London after calling a charity in secret.
LONDON -- Three "highly traumatized" women have been rescued from a house in south London where they were apparently held captive in "domestic slavery" for three decades, Scotland Yard said Thursday.
Police said the youngest captive – a 30-year-old British woman – had had no contact with the outside world for her entire life.
Two suspects – a 67-year-old man and a 67-year-old woman – were arrested Thursday at the home, Scotland Yard said in a statement.
The three women, including a 69-year-old Malaysian woman and a 57-year-old Irish woman, were rescued from a residence in London's Lambeth Borough on Oct. 25 by detectives from Scotland Yard's Human Trafficking Unit. Police said the victims are not believed to be related to each other, the Daily Mirrorreports.
"All three women, who were highly traumatized, were taken to a place of safety where they remain," Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland, from the Human Trafficking Unit, told reporters.
Hyland said his unit had dealt with many cases of servitude and forced labor before, including people held as long as 10 years, "but we have never seen anything of this magnitude before."
He said he is not sure where the youngest captive was born "but she appears to have been in servitude for her entire life."
The three, who had some "controlled freedom" during the captivity, were rescued after one of them phoned Freedom Charity, which works on issues involving forced marriages, and began plotting their escape.
Police indicated that the rescue, originally set in motion in October, took about a week to pull off. The women had to be convinced in secret phone calls that it was safe to leave the house.
Aneeta Prem, founder of Freedom Charity, said the three women were in effect kept in "domestic slavery" and felt they were not allowed to leave the house because of their fear of the two suspects.
"One of they key things that has come up is that these three ladies were absolutely terrified by these people," she told Sky News, saying the two suspects appeared to have acted as "the heads of the family."
Prem said the three appear to have undergone physical and mental abuse, but that there was no indication of a sexual abuse during the captivity.
Hyland, from the Human Trafficking Unit, said one of the captives called for help after viewing a TV documentary on forced marriages relating to the work of Freedom Charity, The Guardian reports.
Prem said the women had to make calls to Freedom Charity in secret and at set times because "they felt like they were in massive danger."
"With the help of the police we were able to get them out," she said.
An unidentified neighbor told The Press Association that the couple in the house "just kept themselves to themselves."
"They were a very nice couple," the neighbor said. "They just seemed a very normal couple. I just know it's very unfortunate." Support: Aneeta Prem from the Freedom charity
Officers said the two suspects have been taken to a south London police station where they remain in custody.
Aneeta Prem, Freedom Charity founder, said the alleged victims - who are believed to have suffered physical and mental harm - were able to walk out of the property after extensive calls with the charity.
She told Sky News: "We started in-depth to talks to them when they could, it had to be pre-arranged.
"They gave us set times when they were able to speak to us.
"It was planned that they would be able to walk out of the property. The police were on standby.
"They were able to leave the property, but it was done in such a way... it was a very, very excellent way it happened.
Ms Prem said the two people arrested were considered the "heads of the family", and that the women were "absolutely terrified" of them.
She added: "They felt they were in massive danger. I don't believe the neighbours knew anything about it at all.
"It was just an ordinary house in an ordinary street. They were very restricted on everything they could do. We absolutely thrilled this has happened."
Asked about what help the women will be given, the charity founder said: "They are going to be afforded all the help and support that can be.
"I'm so grateful they saw the news. Now they will try to re-build their lives."
