Three girls have fled a house in Argentina where they were held in slave-like conditions and severely abused by a couple who practice the Afro-Brazilian religion Umbanda, police say.
The girls, who range in age from four to 13, were given to the couple by relatives about a year ago and held captive in a run-down house in the Buenos Aires suburb of Monte Chingolo, investigators said on Tuesday.
"They were forced to do domestic work and practically didn't leave the house," said police captain Sergio Gil.
The girls - two sisters and their young aunt - were subjected to "severe psychological and physical abuse and showed signs of malnutrition and beatings", Gil told journalists.
"The youngest had burns on her private parts."
The girls managed to escape through a window and asked for help from a neighbour, who called the authorities, said a police source.
Police have arrested the couple, who neighbours said were known in the area for practising Umbanda rituals.
Umbanda, a cult religion that emerged in Rio de Janeiro, combines elements of African religions with Catholicism and occultism.
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