Car wash accused of using forced labor

Five people have been detained, suspected of using forced labor at a car wash in North China's Tianjin municipality, the Beijing News reported on Monday.

The car wash, Guangliang Car Service Center, is located in Hedong district of Tianjin.

On Nov 21, police from Hedong district took 11 workers from the store, and detained five people suspected of forcing people to work. The case is still under investigation, the report said.

Lu Shilun, one of the rescued workers, was a mentally disabled man who lost contact with his father in Shenyang, Liaoning province, on July 22.

Lu had worked in the store since Aug 2, and said he was beaten many times by the supervisor, according to the Beijing News report.

Lu received his delayed salary on Nov 24 and returned his hometown in Central China's Hubei province with his father next day.

The other rescued workers all received their salaries and were sent back to their hometowns, according to Tianjin police.

Most of the workers are from Hebei and Henan provinces.

Wu Fabing, a mentally disabled man who was working at the car wash, was rescued by his brother on Oct 3. But Wu has still not received his salary from the store.