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Latvian ‘trafficking victim’ held captive in Longsight rescued from 14-month hell

A Lativan woman believed to have been trafficked into the UK and held prisoner from more than a year has been rescued from an address in Longsight.

Greater Manchester Police were tipped off from Interpol on Monday, after a Latvian woman had called them claiming her 36-year-old daughter was being held against her will in Manchester.

She claimed her daughter had travelled to the UK on the promise of getting a job, but later told her mother she had been held against her will for almost 14 months.

Detective Inspector Dave Turner said: “Officers were able to act quickly on information from Interpol and rescue this woman.

“From what we have established so far, we believe this woman was lured into the country and kept against her will in a number of addresses, unsure whether she would ever be able to see her family again.”

Officers have arrested two 31-year-old men and one 46-year-old woman on suspicion of false imprisonment and human trafficking after raiding the address in Longsight.

It is thought the victim has been imprisoned in the UK since mid-2013, and had been moved to a number of addresses in Longsight over the last eight months to help conceal her location.

With no knowledge of the exact address, the victim described details of the flat where she was being held to her mother, who subsequently informed Interpol.

Det Insp Turner added: “We have to commend her bravery, defying her captors to pass the vital information about her whereabouts to her mother and thus assist her own rescue.

“We should also commend the fast actions and fine police work of the officers on the ground, who were able to make three arrests.”

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