Spanish Police investigating a prostitution ring in Madrid have freed a woman who had been beaten, tied, and had a bar code tattooed on her wrist.
The 19-year-old Spanish woman had been held against her will and had a tattoo on her wrist as a sign of ownership, as well as a money figure showing how much she owed her 'pimp' bosses.
The woman had also been whipped, chained to a radiator and had her hair and eyebrows shaved off by the 'bar code pimps' as part of the ring in central Madrid, officials said.
Spanish police have since arrested 22 suspected pimps who allegedly used violence to force women into prostitution and tattooed them with barcodes.
All those arrested were of Romanian nationality and had forced the women to hand over part of their earnings, the statement said.
The women were tattooed on their wrists if they tried to escape, the statement said. Police also seized guns and ammunition. It was not immediately clear when the raids took place.
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TXT 24
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