82 women found held captive in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- A group if 82 Indonesian women drafted into slave labor in Malaysia are being released and returned home, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said.

The women were about to be shipped out to the Middle East when they were discovered and rescued. They were held in a large building and were allowed to leave only to clean clients' homes. Several reported having been abused by captors, the Jakarta Globe said Saturday.

Police said the women were being held as indentured servants and their captors were ready to sell them off to clients across the Middle East and Africa.

Another 22 workers discovered as part of the group are remaining in Malaysia to testify against their captors, the Globe said.