38 detained over 'slaves' chained and forced to beg

Dozens of vulnerable men and boys were kidnapped, chained, whipped, fed scraps and forced to work or fight each other for entertainment over an eight-year period in rural southern Romania, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Three men and two boys aged between 10 and 12 were found chained up and were rescued by police on Wednesday in the mountain town of Berevoiesti during searches at the homes of suspects - members of an extended Roma family. Organized-crime prosecutors said the investigation involves some 90 suspects who they say exploited around 65 people with physical and mental disabilities or who were very poor, making them log wood, beg or look after animals.

Some 160 police and prosecutors took part in the raid on Wednesday on the town, some 150 kilometers northwest of Bucharest.