A 32-year-old woman was subjected to a series of brutal gang rapes after being lured away from a restaurant near the Termini central station in Rome and held captive for several days by a group of African illegal migrants. The incident has sparked strong reactions in Italy.

The woman had traveled to the Italian capital earlier in May and was dining alone when she according to investigators came into contact with a man who offered her cannabis products. He convinced her to leave the area with him.

After a longer walk, another man is said to have appeared and forced the woman into a van. She was then driven to an abandoned house in Tor Cervara, in the eastern part of Rome.

Held Captive for Three Days

According to Italian police, the woman was held captive in the building for about 72 hours. There, she was subjected to repeated sexual assaults by several men. Investigators also report that she was drugged with narcotics and threatened with her life while she was imprisoned. The woman’s cellphone and wallet were also reportedly stolen.

Eventually, she managed to get away and was found later in severe distress and partially unclothed by the roadside by a passing motorist. The man took her to the Casilino hospital, where medical staff quickly raised the alarm after noticing injuries that indicated violence and sexual assault. Doctors were able to confirm that the woman had been drugged.

Police Raid Led to Several Arrests

After the hospital’s report, the police’s special unit Flying Squad launched an intensive investigation. Within a few days, the police were able to piece together the sequence of events and carried out a raid on the building where the woman had been held.

During the raid, 22 people without legal residence status in Italy were identified. Eleven of them were ordered to be deported and transferred to various detention centers in the country.

Among those arrested were five men whom the woman later identified in photo lineups as the perpetrators of the assaults.

Illegal Migrants from Gambia, Mali and Nigeria

According to Italian media, the suspects are two men from Gambia, one man from Mali, and two men from Nigeria. All have been detained on suspicion of aggravated gang rape due to the woman’s defenseless condition.

The police are also continuing to investigate several other individuals believed to have played roles in the incident, including the man who first approached the woman, the person who transported her to the building, and the owner of the property where she was held captive.

The case has received widespread attention in Italian media and is described as one of the most high-profile violent crimes in Rome in recent times.