Andrew Tate who was arrested in human trafficking and rape probe ‘kept six women under house arrest

The social media influencer Andrew Tate, arrested as part of a human trafficking and rape investigation, kept six women under ‘house arrest 24/7 like prisoners’, it was alleged last night.

Officials close to the case said Tate asked his employees to shadow his victims’ every move, forcing them to take part in online pornographic videos.

‘The abuse was physical and emotional. They were not allowed to leave the house without security and they were watched day and night,’ a Romanian judicial source told the Mail.

‘They were essentially kept under house arrest 24/7 like prisoners. They were deprived of their freedom and followed everywhere.’

Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate are escorted by police officers outside the headquarters of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism in Bucharest

A wood-panelled room with leather armchairs and desk chairs appears to be the room he recorded his widely-mocked riposte to Greta Thunberg

The 36-year-old was arrested with his brother Tristan, 34, alongside their assistants Georgiana Naghel and Luana Radu at their £600,000 villa in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, yesterday morning.

The dawn raid by officers from the city’s anti-organised crime unit was part of a nine-month-long investigation. The search of the property lasted more than 12 hours.

The four were then taken to a police cell in central Bucharest before a court hearing today in which authorities are seeking to keep them in detention for one month.

Eugen Vidineac, the lawyer representing the Tate brothers, said he was unable to reply to the Mail’s request for comment.

Prosecutors allege that Tate recruited the women on social media platforms and lured them to Bucharest by falsely professing his love and intention to marry them.

The tactics are known as the ‘lover boy’ method, which is used by criminals to recruit victims who are suffering from economic hardship by seducing them with gifts and promises of a better life abroad.

Tate’s Twitter account posted this morning, the day after his arrest: ‘The Matrix sent their agents’

Police released footage of one of the raids – believed to be at Tate’s front door inside the compound. Cops refused to name their suspects however footage from the raid clearly matches images of Tate’s home

See also  Cheryl reveals she is taking over from Laura Whitmore in West End thriller 2:22 A Ghost Story

Andrew Tate counts his Romanian Leu notes, worth around £16 each. He allegedly made much of his money from the six victims, who earned up to £44,350 a month each 

The six victims were forced to take part in videos on the adult content platform Only Fans and the video-sharing app TikTok, with the two brothers allegedly pocketing all the proceeds.

‘We have information – based on what they said on social media – that one of the girls brought in up to €50,000 (£44,350) a month,’ the source said. ‘They were given no money from what they earned.’

The women include one American, one Moldovan and four Romanian nationals.

Romanian investigators began their probe when the US embassy in Bucharest raised the alarm after diplomats discovered that an American woman was being held against her will in the city.

Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate are escorted by police officers on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group

The 22-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had managed to recover her mobile phone and call her boyfriend in the US who alerted the embassy.

A video of the raid released by police also showed officers recovering guns, knives and money.

Tate also runs the ‘Hustler’s Academy’ where 127,000 mostly men pay him £39 a month for tips on getting rich and dealing with life.

The former kickboxer has previously said he moved to Romania with his brother because they believed they would receive less attention from the police.