The Italian police have apprehended two Nigerian nationals alongside three others over the kidnapping and gang rape of a Colombian citizen aged 32 during her tourist visit in Rome.
According to British outlet Daily Express, the woman was lured away from a restaurant in the Italian capital on May 19 by a man who offered to sell her hashish, an illegal cannabis product.
She was thereafter taken in a van and driven to an empty building in Via Cesare Tallone, in the Tor Cervara area on the eastern side of Rome, and held against her will for 72 hours.
Local authorities said the victim was raped multiple times, drugged, and threatened by the kidnappers.
The victim managed to escape from the building and was found half-naked on a pavement by a passerby, who informed the police.
Arrests and Charges
The Italian Flying Squad Section IV raided the building and apprehended five suspects who have been identified as:
- Saidykhan Lamin, 29, Gambian
- Karamba Kanteh, 38, Gambian
- Harouna Traore, 43, Malian
- Isibor Wisdom, 29, Nigerian
- Paul Nwabueze, 39, Nigerian
The suspects will remain in custody after being charged with gang rape aggravated by the victim’s vulnerable condition.
Ongoing Investigation
The police said investigations are still ongoing to capture other suspects who aided in the kidnapping, including the man who allegedly lured the woman away from the restaurant and the driver who transported her in a van to the building.
The police also reported that 22 illegal migrants were found during the raid on the abandoned property, with 11 reportedly detained awaiting deportation processing.
