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British police have arrested a couple suspected of holding three women for up to 30 years against their will.

21 November 2013 19:54 (UTC +04:00)

The couple, a man and a woman, both 67, was nabbed by officers from the Human Trafficking Unit at their south London home as part of a probe into slavery and domestic servitude, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement, adding that both are in custody now.

The investigation was launched in October when the Freedom Charity reported receiving a call from a woman who said she had been held against her will in the house for more than 30 years, the statement added.

The "highly traumatized" victims, - 69-year-old Malaysian, 57-year-old Irish and 30-year-old British women - have been taken to a place of safety, according to the Metropolitan Police.

"We applaud the actions of Freedom Charity and are working in partnership to support these victims who appear to have been held for over 30 years”, said Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland.

"We have launched an extensive investigation to establish the facts surrounding these very serious allegations," he added.

Last month, the charity Walk Free Foundation issued the first Global Slavery Index in which it was revealed that there are more than 4,000 slaves in Britain.