An 80-year-old man was found “in poor health” in the basement of a house without windows and without a toilet in Helsinki, where he had lived for at least 20 years, announced today, noting that an investigation was launched on the suspicion of exploiting the man’s inability to care for himself.
Two men and a woman, all in their 60s, were arrested and later released, police told AFP.
The two suspects and the elderly man knew each other but were not related, according to police.
Authorities launched an investigation to determine whether other people living in the same house were guilty of “human trafficking, taking advantage of the man’s state of dependence and subjecting him to degrading living conditions, possibly for financial gain.
Under miserable conditions
The elderly man was found during a search on Monday at the house, located in a northern district of the capital.
His health condition required “immediate help”.
The basement where he lived was “a room with no windows, no access to a bathroom or toilet, or the ability to prepare food,” police added.
“He had been living in these conditions for at least 20 years,” Chief Inspector Jari Korkalainen, who is leading the investigation, told AFP, stressing that it was an “unusual case”.
Over time, “this man’s health was deteriorating,” he said. The 80-year-old’s treatment was entrusted to the “competent authorities”, according to the police inspector.
