Police in Italy said on Saturday (July 13) that they freed 33 Indian farm labourers from slave-like working conditions in the northern Verona province, news agency Reuters reported.
The police also said that they seized $545,300 (around €500,000) from the alleged abusers of these labourers.
The incident comes days after an Indian fruit picker died after his arm was severed by machinery in June.
Police arrested farm owner Antonello Lovato on suspicion of homicide of Satnam Singh.
Geneva prosecutors had launched the probe over alleged illegal activities, including exploitation, human trafficking, and violations of Swiss labor laws.
Police in Italy said on Saturday (July 13) that they freed 33 Indian farm labourers from slave-like working conditions in the northern Verona province, news agency Reuters reported. The police also said that they seized $545,300 (around €500,000) from the alleged abusers of these labourers.
The abusers, who are also from India, brought fellow nationals to Italy on seasonal work permits, asking them to pay 17,000 euros each and promising them a better future, the police added, while describing the migrants' treatment as "slavery".
The migrants were given farm jobs, working seven days a week and 10-12 hours a day for just $4.37 per hour, which was entirely docked from them until they settled all their debts. Some were asked to continue working for free to pay an additional $14,197 for a permanent work permit "which, in reality, would have never been given to them."
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The police further said the abusers were charged with crimes connected to slavery and labour exploitation, and the victims would be offered protection, work opportunities, and legal residency papers.
Italy, like other countries in Europe, faces growing labour shortages that are often filled via immigration, particularly in lower-paid jobs. The country has a migrant work visa system that has faced cases of fraud.
The incident comes days after an Indian fruit picker died after his arm was severed by machinery in June. Police arrested farm owner Antonello Lovato on suspicion of homicide of Satnam Singh. Lovato, driving the tractor at the time, allegedly abandoned Singh after the accident, refusing entreaties to call an ambulance.
In a similar incident last month, four members of the affluent Hinduja family were sentenced by a Swiss criminal court to prison terms ranging from four to 4.5 years for exploiting vulnerable domestic workers. The family members were accused of confiscating workers’ passports, paying them in Indian rupees rather than Swiss francs, restricting their movement, and forcing them to work excessively long hours for minimal pay in Switzerland.
Geneva prosecutors had launched the probe over alleged illegal activities, including exploitation, human trafficking, and violations of Swiss labor laws.
