Italian law enforcement authorities have apprehended two Nigerian nationals and three other African migrants in connection with the alleged abduction and sexual assault of a Colombian tourist in Rome.
Foreign media reports indicated on Thursday that the victim, a 32-year-old woman from Colombia, was allegedly deceived by a man who approached her at a restaurant in the Italian capital under the pretext of selling cannabis products.
She was reportedly transported in a vehicle to a deserted structure situated on the outskirts of eastern Rome, where she was allegedly detained for about 72 hours.
Investigators alleged that the woman was subjected to repeated sexual abuse, drugged and intimidated during the period.
The victim was said to have eventually escaped from the location before she was discovered in a distressed condition by a passerby, who subsequently alerted emergency services.
Police operatives later stormed the building and arrested five suspects identified as Saidykhan Lamin, 29, and Karamba Kanteh, 38, both Gambian nationals; Harouna Traore, 43, from Mali; and two Nigerians, Isibor Wisdom, 29, and Paul Nwabueze, 39.
Authorities disclosed that the suspects had been charged with aggravated gang rape due to the victim’s vulnerable state.
The police added that investigations were ongoing to trace additional suspects believed to have played roles in the incident, including the individual accused of luring the tourist away from the restaurant and the driver of the vehicle allegedly used in conveying her to the abandoned property.
Security officials also revealed that 22 undocumented migrants were found at the building during the operation, while 11 of them were transferred to detention facilities ahead of possible deportation procedures.
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