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Italian authorities have rescued dozens of Indian nationals from “slave-like” working conditions near Verona in northern Italy. The operation, conducted by The Guardia di Finanza (Italy’s financial police), uncovered a severe case of labour exploitation involving 33 Indian farm workers, reported CNN.
According to a police spokesperson, these workers were forced to work for more than 10 hours daily, seven days a week, for wages of approximately $4 (Rs 334) per hour, which were sometimes withheld.
In addition to freeing the labourers, the police confiscated over $500,000 (Rs 41,768,025) in cash and other assets from two Indian nationals suspected of orchestrating the exploitation. The funds are believed to be linked to the alleged “sale” of the workers as “low-cost labour.”
The freed labourers were reportedly lured to Italy by Indian “brokers” collaborating with traffickers who promised legitimate employment opportunities. Each worker paid over 17,000 euros (around Rs 1,552,933) for travel and fraudulent seasonal work permits. Additionally, many were charged an extra 13,000 euros (around Rs 1,187,529) under the false promise of securing permanent work permits.
Upon arrival, the workers’ passports were confiscated, and they were confined to dilapidated housing under threats of physical violence to ensure their compliance and silence. The identities and genders of the freed workers have not been disclosed.
Italian authorities are now scrutinising the business relationships between the suspected gangmasters and other entities, including numerous companies that utilised the exploited labour.