SOFIA, Bulgaria (BN24) — Six people have been detained in central Bulgaria following allegations of severe abuse at a private nursing home, where elderly residents and patients with mental health conditions were reportedly beaten, drugged, and held in inhumane conditions, authorities said Monday.
The arrests came after a police raid on Friday at a private hospice in the village of Yagoda, which housed 75 residents. Five individuals were taken into custody during the initial operation, with a sixth arrested on Sunday, officials confirmed.
Ivan Krastev, Bulgaria’s deputy minister of labor and social policy, described harrowing scenes at the facility. “The scariest thing we saw was people who were subjected to constant physical abuse — tied up, beaten. There is also evidence of drugging,” he told Nova TV.
The suspects face multiple charges, including unlawful imprisonment, obstruction of free movement, failure to assist persons in danger, bodily harm, and acts of physical violence, district prosecutor Tanya Dimitrova said in a news briefing.
Following the raid, 11 residents were hospitalized, while the remaining 64 were either relocated to state-run institutions or reunited with relatives. Bulgarian media reported disturbing conditions at the nursing home, including patients being restrained, sedated, and locked in rooms without proper hygiene, ventilation, or bedding.
“They lock us up like dogs,” said 70-year-old patient Milka Raeva in an interview with BTV television. “They give us two slices of bread, and in this heat, they don’t open the door to let air in — they’re afraid we’ll escape. Many died hungry, without doctors, with wounds, tied up.”
The facility reportedly charged residents 990 levs (approximately $580) per month for a room. Authorities also shut down another illegal care home on Monday in the village of Govedartsi, which housed 23 patients.
The case has drawn renewed scrutiny over Bulgaria’s long-troubled elder care sector, where economic pressures and lack of oversight have led to abusive practices in some privately operated facilities. Bulgaria, like many European nations, is facing rising costs for elderly care, while income levels remain comparatively low.
Officials say the investigation is ongoing, and further inspections of private nursing homes are planned across the country.
