Loopholes in immigration and labour law leave many at the mercy of criminal gangmasters who force them to work for a pittance

Laura Hardeep Kaur was in her office when she received a photo via WhatsApp of a severed arm placed in a crate used for collecting fruit and vegetables.

The trade unionist was horrified but didn’t hesitate to get into her car and drive to an address 20 minutes away in Castelverde, a hamlet in the province of Latina, about 30 miles from Rome.