'Italian Fritzl' and son held in incest case

ROME, Italy (CNN)-- Police in Italy say they have arrested a grandfather and his son for allegedly sexually abusing the elder man's daughter for more than a 25 years, in a case likened to Austria's Josef Fritzl.

The area of Turin where the family at the center of Italy's incest case lives.

The 41-year-old son, identified by police only by the pseudonym Giovanni, was arrested February 16; his 64-year-old father was arrested March 16, Turin Police Inspector Iolanda Seri told CNN Saturday.

Both men were imprisoned, and were charged with sexual abuse of their daughter and sister, who is now 34 and has been identified by the pseudonym Laura. Both men have denied wrongdoing.

Giovanni is also charged with sexually abusing the eldest of his own four daughters, who are aged 21, 20, 11 and 6, Seri said.

Though only the eldest of his daughters has accused Giovanni of attempting to molest her, police -- basing their accusations on phone intercepts -- have also accused him of molesting his 11-year-old in front of the 6-year-old girl.

Laura and Giovanni have another sister and seven other brothers, police said.

The case began to emerge last October, when Laura ran away from her father's house to seek shelter at her brother's house, Seri said.

Seri said police missed a chance to intervene 15 years ago, when Laura was 19. That was when she first ran away from home and complained to police that her father had made sexual advances, Seri said.