80-year-old found in basement in Helsinki, three arrested

It was on Monday that Finnish police carried out a search of a villa in northern Helsinki following a report from another authority.

The old man was found in the basement in very poor physical condition, the police wrote in a press release. The man is believed to have lived in a windowless room without access to a toilet or cooking facilities for several decades. According to Hufvudstadsbladet, it was a basement, and the police, according to Yle, called the living conditions "inhumane."

The surrounding area is described as a quiet residential area.

Two men and a woman, all in their 60s, were arrested during a house search. They were later released but remain suspects. They are a couple and a male relative of theirs. None of them are related to the older man, but they are said to have known him. All three are registered at the address but are not believed to have lived there the whole time.

The police are investigating suspected human trafficking and whether the people exploited the man's dependent position for financial gain.

However, the 80-year-old has not been locked up.

"We are now investigating whether he had the opportunity to move from the room or whether he lacked that ability," Detective Inspector Jari Korkalainen told Hufvudstadsbladet.