In the latest case of exploitation of foreign workers in Italy, police on Saturday (July 13) said they had arrested several "caporali" (gangmasters), who were of the same Indian nationality as the laborers they exploited. Following a large-scale operation in the Verona province, 33 Indian workers were freed.

Police said the alleged gangmasters brought fellow nationals to Italy on seasonal work permits, asking them to pay 17,000 euros each and promising them a better future.

Upon arrival in the Verona province, they were given farm jobs, working seven days a week and 10-12 hours a day for just 4 euros per hour, yet the money was withheld until the debt was paid off.

At the end of each day, they were taken to dilapidated homes from which they could not leave, police said. Police described the migrants' treatment as "slavery".

Some were asked to continue working for free to pay an additional 13,000 euros for a permanent work permit "which, in reality, would have never been given to them," the police statement said.

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The captors were also of Indian nationality

The individuals responsible for their enslavement were also of Indian nationality: two brothers residing in Cologna Veneta. One of them already had a criminal record for offenses related to "caporalato" practices. They are now under investigation for reducing people to slavery, illicit intermediation, and labor exploitation.

On July 13, the Italian Coast Guard conducted an emergency preventive seizure against them, amounting to 475,000 euros across different bank accounts traced to the two men, who hired no employees and were total tax evaders.

The investigation by the Legnano Finance Guard began months ago, following numerous stakeouts documenting the exploitation suffered by the laborers. The inquiry revealed that the two brothers had promised many fellow nationals a better future in Italy, asking each one of them for 17,000 euros in exchange for entry into Italian territory and a seasonal work permit.

To pay the fee, some laborers were forced to pledge their assets, while others went into debt with the two brothers responsible for the "caporalato" practice.

Also read: Arrests made in Tuscany due to suspected exploitation of migrants

They worked for free to pay their debt to the 'caporali'

Upon arriving in Italy, the laborers had to work essentially for free, without any pay, for ten to twelve hours a day, seven days a week.

Often, the pay was only four euros per hour, an amount set by the caporali, which was withheld until the debt was paid off in full.

To ensure their silence, the captors took the laborers' passports and forbade them from leaving the crumbling homes where they were forced to live, crammed under precarious hygienic and sanitary conditions.

Those who asked for their documents were beaten by multiple people, and their documents were burned as punishment. The victims were relocated to secure places and placed in social integration and work programs.

The Veneto region activated its social services, which, as part of the "N.A.V.I.G.A.Re. - Network Antitratta Veneto" (an anti-human trafficking network in Veneto), guaranteed assistance to the laborers. Today, procedures to provide residency permits for reasons of justice for the victims also began. The passports seized by the traffickers upon entry into Italy were returned to their rightful owners.