Madrid police catch the pimp barcode gang, signs of ownership

Tattooed on the hands of women controled by bar codes as a sign of your property

hightech pimping in Madrid tatooed barcodes on the hand

Spanish police arrested 22 alleged pimps who allegedly used violence to force women into prostitution and bar codes tattooed them as a sign of ownership, officials said Sunday.

The police referred to the band as a pimp barcode. Officials released a 19-year-old had been beaten, held against her will and tattooed with a barcode and a number of money-$ -2.650 investigators believe was the amount of the debt for which the band wanted to extort money before releasing her.

The woman also had been beaten, and chained to a radiator and the hair and eyebrows shaved off, according to an Interior Ministry.

All detainees were of Romanian nationality and forced women to give up some of their income.

Women were tattooed on their wrists if they tried to escape, the statement said. Police also seized weapons and ammunition. It was not immediately clear when the raids were conducted.

Police seized $ 185.388 in cash, which were hidden in a false ceiling, a large amount of gold jewelry and five vehicles, three of which were described as luxurious.

The band was formed by two separate groups called “clans” in the statement, each dedicated to control prostitution along fixed sections of a street in central Madrid.

One of the alleged ringleaders, who identified only by the initials “IT”, is wanted by the Romanian authorities for crimes related to prostitution, the statement

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