Man arrested for forcing girl into prostitution

A 45-year-old foreign national has been arrested by police in Thessaloniki and charged with forcing an 18-year-old girl from his country of origin to work as a prostitute by using violence. He was arrested on Christmas Eve following a complaint by local residents in Stavroupolis, Thessaloniki who became suspicious of his activities.

The 45-year-old apparently took advantage of the young girl’s dire financial situation in order to get hold her passport and then kept her hostage in a house near the city of Patras since the start of November, forcing her to work as a prostitute and withholding any money she made.

A few days before Christmas the young woman managed to get away and travelled to a town in the region of Serres, where the 45-year-old again her down and took her to an apartment in Stavroupolis, Thessaloniki using force.

His actions aroused the suspicions of local residents, however, who called the police. Shortly before his arrest, he had hit the girl in the face with a pair of scissors inflicting multiple injuries.