Italian authorities have arrested two Nigerians and three other African migrants over the alleged abduction and gang rape of a Colombian tourist in Rome.
According to reports by British media outlet Daily Express, the incident occurred on May 19 after the 32-year-old woman was allegedly approached by a man who offered to sell her hashish at a restaurant in the Italian capital.
Investigators said the victim was later taken in a van to an abandoned building located on the eastern outskirts of Rome, where she was allegedly held captive for about 72 hours.
Authorities alleged that the woman was repeatedly raped, drugged and threatened during her captivity.
The victim reportedly escaped from the building before she was discovered half-naked on a roadside by a passerby, who alerted emergency responders.
Italian police subsequently raided the property and arrested five suspects identified as Saidykhan Lamin, Karamba Kanteh, Harouna Traore, and two Nigerians, Isibor Wisdom and Paul Nwabueze.
Police said the suspects have been charged with gang rape aggravated by the victim’s vulnerable condition and remain in custody pending further investigations.
Authorities also disclosed that efforts were ongoing to apprehend other individuals believed to have participated in the incident, including the man who allegedly lured the victim away from the restaurant and the driver who transported her to the building.
During the operation, police reportedly discovered 22 undocumented migrants living inside the abandoned property.
According to investigators, 11 of the migrants have been transferred to detention centres as deportation procedures commence.
