Spanish police arrested 41 Bulgarians, informs abc.es, quoted by NOVA. They were members of a criminal group who grabbed or bought underage girls and used them for theft and prostitution.

These people were accused of human trafficking.

At the time of their arrest, the police released 14 of the victims. 12 of them were underage Bulgarians. The other four girls are from other European countries.

The investigation began in April 2017. The criminal group hired apartments which belonged to banks in Madrid and from there exerted its criminal activity. The girls were forced to steal in the shops and the men exported the stolen things from Spain to other countries.

The apartments were overcrowded with victims from Bulgaria. The girls, only one of whom was 13, were obliged to marry mafia members or to prostitute as part of the amount they had to pay to their parents.

In some cases, women were literally sold by their fathers, which were paid in two installments - the first in Bulgaria and the second one - when the girls are already working in Spain.

The search of the apartments revealed various electronic devices, mobile phones, jewelleries, and documents signed by the parents of the girls, in which they gave their agreement to their children traveling outside of our country. In addition, investigators found 28 fake identity cards, as well as traces of over 150 crimes.