Four people were arrested in Athens yesterday for running one of the largest human trafficking rackets ever seen in Greece, an operation which forced women into prostitution, police said.

Three men, all Greek nationals, and a Romanian woman are believed to have run the ring, which lured women into Greece mainly from ex-Soviet Union states, police said.

The victims were smuggled into the country across the Greek-Bulgarian border. But when the women arrived in Greece, they were held hostage and beaten until they agreed to work as prostitutes.

One of the men, who is said to have led the operation, is accused of imprisoning the women in his luxury home in a suburb north of Athens.

Police discovered large amounts of cash and weapons in the suspects’ possession.