Overview
- Federal police and the Bochum public prosecutor searched 16 residential and commercial sites across North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony with roughly 600 officers.
- Investigators encountered six suspected victims who were said to be working in massage salons and hourly hotels.
- A 59-year-old Chinese woman identified as the main suspect was taken into pre-trial detention along with two additional suspects.
- Arrest warrants were executed in Oer-Erkenschwick, Brühl and Recklinghausen, with further searches in cities including Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Paderborn, Frechen, Hürth, Hiddenhausen, Rheine, Bad Bentheim, Bramsche and Osnabrück.
- Authorities allege commercial smuggling of foreigners and human trafficking by the group, and the broader investigation remains ongoing.