This is the moment 14 people were found in the appaling conditions seen here after two men allegedly stripped them of their identification documents and forced them into slavery.
They were found at a building by employees from the main directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Bataysk, a city in Rostov Oblast, in the North Caucasus region of southeastern Russia.
Video Credit: CEN/Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Rostov Oblast
In the video captured by the employees, the 14 victims can be seen lying down in piles of dirt with rubbish strewn around a room.
Some of the victims are lying on dirty mattresses on the floor while some are sharing ailing bunk beds.
According the press service of the regional investigative department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, two suspects were apprehended.
The investigation has revealed that the two suspects allegedly went out looking for homeless people with no livelihoods in Rostov-on-Don, 221 kilometres (137 miles) from where the victims were found.
They then allegedly pretended to be employers looking for workers after which they transported the victims to a private household where they were illegally detained and forced to work for free, according to reports.
The investigation also mentioned the poor living conditions the victims were living in.
Their IDs and documents had reportedly been taken away from them so they could not leave. The suspects are currently detained pending further investigation.
A criminal case has been opened under the ‘use of slave labour’.
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Story By: Anna Casap, Sub-Editor: Alex Cope, Agency: Central European News
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