German Girl Held Captive For 8 Years; Milenko And Slavojka Marinkovic Arrested In Bosnia

German Girl Kept Like An Animal For 8 Years

Bosnian police say they rescued a 19-year-old German woman who was held against her will for eight years, forced to eat pig feed and pull her captors around in a horse cart.

Milenko and Slavojka Marinkovic were arrested in the village of Karavlasi after a neighbor tipped off cops that the two had abused the unidentified girl for years, according to The Local.

"They kept her locked up, neither allowing her contact with other people, nor to go to school," police spokesman Admir Arnautovic told reporters. "They subjected her to inhumane treatment and torture."

Police released few details after the May 17 arrest, but AFP spoke to the whistle-blowing neighbor, who said he saw the girl eating pumpkin and corn grain -- the same meal the family's pigs ate.

Another time, the neighbor said he witnessed the couple force the girl to pull them around on a horse cart.

"They put her in place of the horse and were laughing," Sead Makalic told AFP.

Makalic had reportedly tried to alert police before, but said the couple hid the girl well.

The victim was found in a forest in poor physical and psychological condition, the Herald Sun reported. There are allegations that she was sexually abused.

The girl's parents reportedly brought her from Germany to marry Milenko Marinkovic, in a sham marriage designed to help him obtain German residency. The mother was allegedly in the village at the time the couple was arrested. It's yet unclear whether charges will be filed against her.

The victim was taken to a safe house and given medical treatment.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot