According to the indictment, the three people allegedly drove around a begging woman to various places, burned her with cigarettes and took at least part of the money she collected.
The crimes have been committed both in Norrköping and in Gothenburg.
But according to Kajsa Wahberg, commissioner at the National Operations Department, NOA, which works a lot with human trafficking issues, this type of crime is reduced.
- It has actually steadily decreased in recent years, I would say when it comes to human trafficking linked to begging.
Both the number of reported and prosecuted crimes are decreasing, she tells SVT Nyheter Öst.
According to her, there may be several explanations for the decrease.
- In 2018, several criminal organizations that dealt with this were prosecuted in various places around the country.
It may have sent signals about not carrying out this type of crime in Sweden, says Kajsa Wahlberg.
Not as profitable
Another reason may be that it is not as profitable to beg in Sweden today.
- We do not have cash and are more aware that the money may go to leagues instead.
You do not get as much in the gun today as you got just a few years ago.
Today you get maybe 100 kroner per day.
A few years ago, it was maybe 700, says Kajsa Wahlberg.
But the fact that it has become more difficult to raise money through begging can have the effect that the leagues turn to prostitution and drugs instead.
- There have been tendencies that women are forced into prostitution instead or that they are forced to sell drugs when begging does not pay off, says Kajsa Wahlberg.