A contract where a teenage girl is certified as a virgin so she can be sold to a criminal gang in Germany for GBP 73,000 is one of the exhibits in a court case against her father who made the deal.

The case involves the then 16-year-old Romina S., now 22, who was allegedly sold by her father in North Macedonia for EUR 85,000 to the “Ivanovic clan”, the district court in Cologne heard.

The price for which the man allegedly sold his daughter is said to have been high and this was because he was able to convince the clan that she would be a good thief, who would bring in lots of money.

Romina married a man called Leonardo in 2016. Leonardo, whose surname has not been disclosed, is reportedly the grandson of Ivanovic clan leader Drasko and the couple moved into the plush family villa.

Her mobile phone and her passport were allegedly taken away from her and she was not supposed to leave the home alone.

Instead, she was allegedly sent on stealing operations with other women in the family immediately after her wedding so that the gang could make back the money they had paid for her and the other girls quickly.

Prosecutors heard that the gang was specialised in targeting older people, with one perpetrator distracting the elderly at the door while their accomplices crept into their homes and stole their possessions.

The women eventually ended up in court, with Romina charged with theft in 2021, which in turn led to her story coming to light. She was jailed for three years for theft. The sentence is not yet legally binding.

During a search of a house, investigators reportedly found the ‘sales contract’ signed between Romina’s father and the clan.

It reportedly stated that she had to be a virgin, among other things.

Romina had quickly given birth to two children after she was forced to marry Leonardo.

Whenever Romina tried to escape, the clan would track her down and bring her back.

The Ivanovic clan has reportedly lived in Germany since 1985, with most of them emigrating from what is now Serbia.

The clan are said to live in a plush house worth EUR 625,000 (GBP 537,000). They also reportedly owed several luxury cars worth over EUR 500,000 (GBP 430,000), as well as luxury Rolex watches that were seized in the summer of 2020.

Officially, only the unnamed daughter of the clan chief worked.

She also owned the house, which she rented to the other members of the family, including her parents and her sister.

Because they in turn received social benefits, the clan’s rent was effectively paid by the state, according to local media.

Romina’s case is said to be far from the only one, with prosecutors struggling to crack down on organised crime in Germany.