One of the two suspects arrested in connection with the sensational 30-year case of slavery in London is of Indian origin, the Metropolitan Police on Saturday said, and added that the other suspect is of Tanzanian origin.
Revealing more details of the case dubbed as ‘London’s shame’, Commander Steve Rodhouse said: “The suspects are of Indian and Tanzanian origin that came to the UK in the 1960s”.
The police had earlier stated that the two suspects were foreign nationals, which means that the two suspects have retained their nationalities of origin during their stay in the UK all these years.
A 69-year-old Malaysian, a 57-year-old Irish woman and a 30-year-old Briton were rescued on October 25 after apparently spending three decades in captivity. The two suspects were arrested on November 21 .
Rodhouse said: “The suspects are of Indian and Tanzanian origin that came to the UK in the 1960s. We believe that two of the victims met the male suspect in London through a shared political ideology, and that they lived together at an address that you could effectively call a ‘collective’”.
He added: “The people involved, the nature of that collective and how it operated is all subject to our investigation and we are slowly and painstakingly piecing together more information. Somehow that collective came to an end and how the women ended up continuing to live with the suspects, how this resulted in the women living in this way for over 30 years is what are seeking to establish, but we believe emotional and physical abuse has been a feature of all the victims’ lives”.
He added: “The people involved, the nature of that collective and how it operated is all subject to our investigation and we are slowly and painstakingly piecing together more information. Somehow that collective came to an end and how the women ended up continuing to live with the suspects, how this resulted in the women living in this way for over 30 years is what are seeking to establish, but we believe emotional and physical abuse has been a feature of all the victims’ lives”.
Aneeta Prem, founder of Freedom Charity, who was at the centre of the rescue effort, said: “These women have had traumatic and distributing experiences, which they have revealed to us. What needs to happen now is that the three victims, who have begun a long process of recovery, are able to go through their rehabilitation undisturbed, without being identified.”