Thirteen house searches are taking place Tuesday morning in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca municipalities and in Ilfov county, in a case in which investigations are being carried out into the offences of setting up an organised criminal group, human trafficking and public incitement, write Agerpres.

According to the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), 31 people, who are believed to be involved in the criminal activity, are to be heard.

”On 13.06. 2023, prosecutors of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Cluj Territorial Service, together with police officers with the Cluj Organized Crime Squad, executed 13 house search warrants, in the municipalities of Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca and Ilfov County, in a case in which investigations are being carried out into the offences of setting up an organised criminal group, human trafficking and public incitement,” says DIICOT.

It was found in the case, that three suspects formed an organized criminal group in 2021 to commit the crime of human trafficking.

They created a system through which they recruited several victims, whom they induced, including through acts of violence, to produce sexually explicit material for an online platform dedicated to adults and/or to produce pornographic material through videochat, the monetary benefits thus obtained being appropriated almost entirely by the suspects, the source said.

The victims were recruited by being misled about the intention to establish a marriage/cohabitation relationship and the existence of feelings of love (the loverboy method).

Specialised support was provided by the Special Operations Directorate of the Romanian Police.