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A major police operation to tackle the trafficking of women in Britain has discovered that some victims are being "sold" at auctions in pubs before being forced to work in brothels.
In the largest operation of its kind, police in Cambridgeshire raided 73 suspected brothels during the past
few months. They have already rescued seven women, some with serious injuries sustained as they tried to escape captivity.
The scale of the abuse has horrified officers and staff from other agencies working with them, who have found women being forced to work in the sex trade in houses in villages as well as city centres. Some were made to have sex with up to 60 men a day, earning thousands of pounds for the gangs.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Fullwood, leading the investigation, said: "We have seen organised crime moving away from firearms and drugs into sex trafficking. It's a lucrative area for gangs, and the women they get hold of can find it hard to escape."
Police say women are brought to a pub with a minder. They are then inspected by members of different gangs who are invited to bid for them - often as little as £1000 per woman.
So far, 24 people have been arrested in police Operation Radium, most on suspicion of immigration offences, and all have been bailed. No charges have yet been brought.
Many of the women trafficked into Britain each year come from eastern Europe, Africa and the Far East, tempted by the prospect of a better life and well-paid jobs. But, on arrival, their identity documents are taken and they are often kept captive in appalling conditions.
So far, seven women have been rescued. Others have fled, fearing arrest even though they are innocent. Fullwood, head of Cambridgeshire's serious and organised crime unit, said: "Many brothels operate under the guise of other businesses. They may be just ordinary-looking homes in quiet neighbourhoods."
He appealed for men who have used brothels to report places where they think women may be prisoners.
Last week police opened their files to reveal detailed personal accounts from some of the victims. Three of them, two now back in their home countries and a third being cared for in a hostel, spoke about beatings, having their identities stolen and being kept in brothels behind locked doors and windows.
One described being beaten so hard that she had a broken arm for which she was not allowed medical attention. Another told of being forced to have unprotected sex with up to 25 clients a day. She was refused a testing kit when she thought she might be pregnant, and threatened by security guards with a samurai sword and a baseball bat.
Conservative MP Shailesh Vara, joint vice-chair of the Commons all-party group on trafficking women and children, said: "It is fantastic that police have mounted such an operation to try to uncover what's happening. What they have found so far is really alarming. It's becoming clear now that many women are kidnapped and held against their will in houses right across Britain and yet are almost invisible to the rest of us."
He added: "The idea that some women are auctioned off in pubs like animals is disgusting.
"Far more must be done to stop this trade. Britain must ratify the United Nations convention on human trafficking, so international measures can be taken to stop these gangs."
-Observer