chargement...
11 Moroccan women were arrested, Thursday, in Lleida, a city in Spain's northeastern Catalonia region, for «pretending to be victims of domestic violence in order to speed up the process of legalizing their stay in Spain».
According to Spanish media, the suspects were allegedly hiring men in financial trouble to stage assaults in public and then report them. The investigation into the case began several months ago, following suspicions of a criminal network dedicated to obtaining documents through false reports.
These women were able to regularize their status in Spain, obtaining temporary residency and a work permit for exceptional circumstances, using the fact that they were victims of sexual violence. The detainees claimed that the fictitious abuser was their partner and that they had been subjected to sexual violence.
They are currently being investigated for false informing, simulating a crime, falsifying documents, facilitating irregular migration, and belonging to a criminal organization. In addition to the women, a man has also been arrested in connection with the operation.
