In Dnipropetrovsk region, under the procedural guidance of the regional prosecutor's office, law enforcement officers have halted the activities of a network of so-called rehabilitation centers, where people were illegally held under the guise of providing assistance to individuals with drug and alcohol dependencies.

According to the investigation, the facilities operated without any legally required permits and licenses for medical or rehabilitation practices. Their organizers profited by charging the relatives of the detained individuals 6,000 hryvnias per month for each person.

The centers functioned in the cities of Zhovti Vody and Shakhtarsk. 

About 300 individuals were held in three facilities, including 7 minors: two children aged 14 and 15 years and five aged 17 years.

The minors were handed over to the centers by their parents or guardians. At the same time, the investigation established that the children were held against their will, restricted in their freedom of movement, and not allowed to leave the premises, regardless of their wishes.

The children have been removed and transferred to medical institutions for examinations and necessary assistance. 

To document the circumstances of their detention, interrogations were conducted with the participation of psychologists and representatives of guardianship authorities using the "Green Room" methodology.

During authorized searches, law enforcement officers seized mobile phones, computer equipment, documentation, personal documents of the detained individuals, cash in national and foreign currencies, as well as items resembling firearms.

Currently, four individuals have been notified of suspicion, including the organizers of these rehabilitation facilities, under part 2 of Article 146 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, namely illegal deprivation of liberty of two or more persons, committed for selfish motives by a group of individuals in premeditated conspiracy.

In addition, facts of possible torture and labor exploitation of individuals held in the centers are being verified.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Dnipropetrovsk region. The procedural guidance is carried out by the Dnipropetrovsk regional prosecutor's office.

According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered innocent of committing a crime until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a guilty verdict of the court.