Many of the women were found living in the businesses where they worked and at least some were being forced to work against their will and reported sexual abuse, St.
County detectives, as well as officers from the Indiana State Police and the Indiana Department of Revenue, are also investigating the four massage parlors β which are owned by the same man β for tax fraud.
Police did not name the owner and as of Tuesday afternoon, no arrests had been made. According to police, the four businesses that were searched go by different names and don't readily appear on Internet searches. The spas have a variation of "Chinese Massage" on the exterior of the buildings. One of the parlors is at Hickory Road in South Bend.
Another is at State Road north of Roseland. Officers also served a search warrant at a house on Buckhorn Drive in South Bend where the owner of the spas lives, Redman said.
More: 'Predator hunter' groups work across Michiana, but officials say they do more harm than good. The women only speak Mandarin Chinese and have been communicating with police through a translator, Redman said. So far, police have identified 12 potential victims, two of whom are actively cooperating with police.
