Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A 32‑year‑old Colombian tourist was abducted, drugged, and repeatedly gang‑raped over three days in an abandoned building on the outskirts of Rome after being lured away from a restaurant by a man who promised to sell her hashish, Italian police have confirmed. The woman, who had arrived in Rome on 9 May 2026, was attacked on the night of 19 May outside a restaurant near the city’s main Termini station. A man approached her, offered to sell her the cannabis product, and convinced her to follow him. After walking for about half an hour, she was forced into a van by a second man and driven to a derelict squat at Via Cesare Tallone in the Tor Cervara district, a notorious eastern suburb known as a haven for illegal migrants and drug dealers.
The victim was held captive inside the squalid building for approximately 72 hours. During that time, investigators said, she was gang‑raped multiple times by a group of five men, drugged, robbed of her phone and wallet, and repeatedly threatened with death. “If you run away, I’ll kill you,” she was told. At dawn on the third day, she managed to break free and run half‑naked into the street, where a passing driver found her lying on the pavement in a state of extreme distress. The driver took her to the nearby Casilino hospital, where doctors immediately recognised injuries consistent with violent sexual assault and confirmed that she had been plied with drugs. The hospital alerted the police.
The Flying Squad of Rome’s police headquarters launched an urgent investigation, reconstructing the events and identifying the perpetrators within days. On Thursday, 28 May, officers raided the Tor Cervara building alongside forensic police and immigration officials. They arrested five suspects and found a total of 22 non‑EU citizens living illegally in the premises. Eleven were issued expulsion orders and transferred to pre‑removal detention centres.
The arrested suspects were identified as Saidykhan Lamin, 29, and Karamba Kanteh, 38, both Gambian nationals; Harouna Traore, a 43‑year‑old Malian; and two Nigerians, Isibor Wisdom, 29, and Paul Nwabueze, 39. They have been charged with aggravated gang rape, a charge that carries a heavier penalty because the crime took advantage of the victim’s vulnerable condition. The five remain in police custody.
Italian authorities said the investigation is continuing. At least three other individuals are being sought: the man who first lured the tourist away from the restaurant, the driver who transported her to the building, and the owners of the squalid shack where she was held. The case has sparked outrage in Italy and renewed debate over the country’s management of illegal immigration and urban decay.
The Colombian woman, whose identity has not been released, is receiving specialist support for victims of sexual violence. Her family has been notified.
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