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Woman escapes after being held captive for 22 years by boyfriend

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House where woman was held captive. (Photo: CEN/MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA)
House where woman was held captive. (Photo: CEN/MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA)

A 57-year-old man has been arrested for kidnapping his girlfriend and holding her captive for 22 years.

The 42-year-old victim, whose identity is being protected by authorities, was just 19 when she was taken hostage and chained to a bed in her boyfriend’s home in Rosario, Argentina, according to local media.

She managed to break free when the suspect, Oscar R, felt sick and rushed to the bathroom, leaving the front door unlocked.

The woman grabbed his cellphone and some cash and ran outside where she soon bumped into a relative she hadn’t seen in decades.

The victim then reported the alleged crime at a nearby police station. Oscar was arrested a few days later, according to reports.

Prosecutor Luciana Vallarella told local media that the suspect has been charged with kidnapping and assault and could be sentenced to between two and six years if found guilty.

Reports didn’t mention whether the victim suffered sexual abuse during her 22 years in captivity, but the formal charges don’t currently include a sex offence.

But Vallarella did say the woman suffered gender violence since the start of their relationship and that he regularly beat and threatened her.

When she was a teenager and her family first learnt of the alleged abuse, they tried to intervene.

That was when the suspect first decided to keep the woman as his hostage, according to local media.

He reportedly threatened to hurt the victim’s young son from a previous relationship to make her cooperate.

Oscar also allowed the victim to communicate with her family over the phone but told her what to say, according to Vallarella.

Eventually relatives came to believe she no longer wanted to keep in contact with them.

The woman was occasionally allowed to leave the house in the company of Oscar but had to shave her head and dress like a man, according to reports.

House where woman was held captive

The suspect’s parents have been linked to the case as possible accomplices, although it’s unclear whether they’ve been arrested yet.

Both parents lived on a different floor in the same property, so it’s suspected that they must have known about the alleged kidnapping.

The suspect is being held in custody for 60 days as the investigation continues, local media reports.

Sources: Magazine Features

(Pictures: CEN/MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA)

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