It’s got more in common with a Caroline Overington thriller than it does with normal life in suburban London.
Three women have been rescued from a seemingly ordinary London home after been kept as slaves for at least thirty years.
According to media reports, a 69-year-old Malaysian woman, a 57-year-old Irish woman and a 30-year-old Britsh woman were rescued from the house in South London last month, however the story has only just been made public.
It’s believed the 30-year-old woman has been held captive her entire life and has had never had contact with the outside world before now.
A man and a woman, both aged 67, have been arrested in relation to the alleged crime and the investigation continues. It is still not known what their initial relationship was with the three women they held captive for half a lifetime.
Scotland Yard said: “Police were contacted in October by Freedom Charity after they had received a call from a woman stating she had been held against her will in a house in London for more than 30 years.
“Further inquiries by police revealed the location of the house and with the help of sensitive negotiations conducted by the charity the three women, a 69-year-old Malaysian woman, a 57-year-old Irish woman and a 30-year-old British woman, were all rescued.
“All three women, who were highly traumatised, were taken to a place of safety where they remain.”
The group that has been credited with the incredible rescue is an organistion called Freedom Charity. It’s alleged that the Irish woman contacted the group via their helpline after seeing a documentary on forced marriages.. What followed was a delicate operation to gain the trust of the captive women before enlisting the help of the police to get the women out.
Aneeta Prem, spokesperson for Freedom Charity, said: “Freedom charity, hearing about the situation of the women, took immediate action in planning their safe rescue. Facilitating their escape was achieved using utmost sensitivity and secrecy and with the safety of the women as our primary concern.”