The two alleged perpetrators were arrested after the 62-year-old complained to the Romanian embassy that he was being beaten and threatened
On the morning of Thursday, October 12, police officers of the Larissa Security Sub-Directorate proceeded to the arrest of two livestock farmers on the charge of taking a human hostage as an accomplice for the purpose of labor exploitation, following a complaint by a 62-year-old Romanian citizen.
The 62-year-old – according to information from the “Eleftheria” newspaper cited by the onlarissa.gr– complained to the Romanian embassy, that the two Larissa cattle breeders “beat him” and have “isolated” him in their pasture for almost 9 months and in fact to achieve their goal, they have withheld his identity and have not paid him his earnings . According to the same information, the 62-year-old was found last January in Larissa having agreed with a 44-year-old cattle breeder to work in his sheepfold as a shepherd.
After 2-3 days of work, realizing that the environment was not suitable, he declared that he wanted to leave Larissa, with the 44-year-old – according to what was reported to EL.AS. – punching him in the face and chest in the presence of the 42-year-old breeder, while removing his identity card. The 62-year-old also complained that they never took him to the hospital, even though he asked them to, as well as that they constantly threatened him in order to stay in Larissa and continue working at their sheepfold.
In fact, after Easter, as the 62-year-old complains, he was taken without his permission to the mountains of Grevena, where he worked until the end of August. At the beginning of September, he stated again that he wanted to leave, only to be “again the victim of a beating” by the 44-year-old. Police officers from the Security Directorate of Larissa, following the report of the Romanian embassy, went to the sheepfold yesterday, where they located the 62-year-old and then arrested the two breeders.
According to information from the newspaper “Eleftheria”, the 62-year-old confirmed what he reported to the embassy of his country, while he reportedly said that he did not leave the sheepfold, having been afraid after the abusive behavior he had suffered and why his identity had been withheld from him . It is noted that the police investigation found the 62-year-old’s wallet in the car of the two ranchers. Finally, he complained that the two breeders owe him earnings amounting to 4,800 euros, of which only 300 euros have been paid to him.
The two arrested will be brought before the Prosecutor of First Instance of Larisa, in order to give explanations for the allegations, while the Labor Inspection Body is expected to be informed as part of the investigation of the case.
