Five African migrants, including two Nigerian men, have been arrested in Italy for allegedly abducting a tourist and gang-raping her for 72 hours in Rome. The 32-year-old woman from Colombia arrived in the Italian capital on May 9, 2026, and went for dinner alone near the Termini Station.
She was approached by a man who convinced her to follow him so he could sell her hashish, a cannabis concentrate product. After walking for about half an hour, they reached a van where she was allegedly abducted. She was taken to an abandoned building on the eastern outskirts of Rome.
At least 22 illegal migrants occupied the building. Five of them drugged her and threatened to kill her. She was allegedly gang-raped several times by the five men during the 72 hours she was held in the building on Via Cesare Tallone, in Tor Cervara. The suspects also robbed her of her mobile phone and wallet.
The woman was found half-naked after she escaped. An Italian man discovered her and brought her to the nearby Casilino hospital, where she received specialist care for women who are victims of violence. Tests showed clear signs of violence and an altered state attributable to being drugged.
Italy's Flying Squad Section IV launched an urgent investigation, leading to an organized raid on the building. Police from the Prenestino district, Forensic Police, and the Police Headquarters' Immigration Office participated in the raid to arrest the migrants, all of whom were originally from Africa.
The five men arrested are Saidykhan Lamin, 29, and Karamba Kanteh, 38, from Gambia; Harouna Traore, a 43-year-old Malian; and Isibor Wisdom, 29, and Paul Nwabueze, 39, from Nigeria. They have been charged with gang rape, aggravated by taking advantage of the victim's defencelessness. The men were placed under police custody until their identities could be confirmed.
In addition to the five arrested migrants, the Flying Squad is investigating the responsibilities of three other individuals: the man who lured the victim from the restaurant, the person who drove her to the building, and the owner of the abandoned structure. Investigations into the abduction are ongoing, including the theft of her phone and wallet and her alleged deprivation of liberty.
During the raid, 22 non-EU citizens with illegal immigration status were identified and arrested. Half of them were issued expulsion orders and taken to pre-removal detention centres in Ponte Galeria, Palazzo San Gervasio, and Bari. The victim identified her rapists from the group of migrants through photographic identification.
