HELSINKI, Oct 30 (Reuters) – Finnish police said on Friday they have launched a pre-trial investigation and arrested nine people on suspicion that workers who came from China to work at a battery factory in the Nordic country were victims of human trafficking.
• Police said in a statement they also suspected criminal activity in the arrangements related to the employees’ entry into Finland
• The pre-trial investigation concerns the activities and personnel of a Finnish staffing agency and a Chinese client company, police said
• The Chinese embassy in Helsinki did not immediately respond to a request for comment
• Four of the nine people arrested are currently in pre-trial detention
• A police spokesperson declined to comment on the potential number of victims or if any of the suspects had given statements to investigators
(Reporting by Essi Lehto and Louise Rasmussen; Editing by Terje Solsvik and Andrea Ricci )
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