On Foreign News
Italian police say they have freed 33 Indian farm laborers from slave-like working conditions in the northern Verona province.
Police have arrested two Indians for bringing the workers into the country by promising them jobs and a better future, but later exploiting them.
Police say they have seized approximately $545,300 from the two men.
The exploitation of migrant workers is in the spotlight in Italy since an Indian fruit picker died last month after his arm was severed in a work accident.
The man was allegedly left on the side of the road following the accident, which also left his legs crushed.
His employer is now under investigation for criminal negligence and manslaughter.
In the latest incident, police say the two men who had brought the 33 Indian men to Italy are being investigated for exploitation of labour.
In a statement sent to the BBC, police said the Indian workers were promised entry into Italy and seasonal work permits by their employers before they were brought to the Verona countryside.
Almost a quarter of the agricultural workforce in Italy in 2018 was employed under this method, according to a study by the Italian National Institute of Statistics. The practice also affects workers in the service industry and building sectors.
It was outlawed in Italy in 2016 after an Italian woman died of a heart attack after working 12-hour shifts picking and sorting grapes, for which she was paid €27 a day.
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