Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Italian police in Rome have nabbed two Nigerians and three other African migrants over the alleged abduction and gang rape of a 32-year-old Colombian tourist.
According to British outlet Daily Express quoted by Truth Live News Media, the victim was reportedly lured away from a restaurant in the Italian capital on May 19 by a man who offered to sell her hashish, a cannabis product.
She was allegedly taken in a van to an abandoned building on the eastern outskirts of Rome, where she was held captive for about 72 hours.
Authorities said she was repeatedly raped, drugged and threatened throughout the period of captivity.
The woman later managed to escape and was found half-naked on a pavement by a passerby, who alerted emergency services.
Following the incident, Italian police raided the abandoned property and arrested five suspects.
Those arrested were identified as Saidykhan Lamin and Karamba Kanteh, both Gambians aged 29 and 38; Harouna Traore, a 43-year-old Malian; and two Nigerians, Isibor Wisdom, 29, and Paul Nwabueze, 39.
All suspects have been charged with gang rape aggravated by the victim’s vulnerable condition and remain in police custody.
Authorities said investigations are continuing to locate other suspects, including the man who allegedly lured the victim and the driver who transported her to the scene.
Police also confirmed that 22 undocumented migrants were found during the raid, with 11 moved to detention centres as deportation proceedings are being processed.
