Rabat — Italian police arrested three Moroccan men, aged 21, 22, 24, for allegedly gang raping two Hungarian tourists in Catania last week.
The tragic case unfolded when the two Hungarian tourists decided to split with three other female friends, with whom they spent the day at La Plaia beach.
To their surprise, two of the suspects approached them while they were making their way to their stay. The men offered them a ride, which they accepted, but instead of driving them to their hotel they kidnapped them and brought them to a remote location where the third man was waiting.
According to reports, police said the three suspects forced the tourists to take cocaine while on the way, taking advantage of their situation to then assault both women.
Italian news outlet Ansa reported that one of the victims managed to call her sister, while pretending she was briefing her mother about how well the vacation was.
“Help me, we were forced to undergo sexual acts by three 20-year-olds, we’re stuck in their van, this is the license plate, notify the police and track my cell phone, hurry up please,” she told her sister.
The young woman was able to provide the van’s license plate number, which she had memorized during a stop.
The sister immediately contacted authorities, who sent patrol cars to fetch the vehicle. They located the van in a square in Paternò, an agricultural town in Catania province.
Officers found the two tourists crying on a bench while the three suspects stood nearby next to their van. Emergency medical personnel transported the victims to a hospital for necessary examinations. Both women then filed formal complaints with police.
The prosecutor’s office ordered the three men to be transferred to Piazza Lanza prison, where they remain in pre-trial detention following the judge’s decision, on charges of gang rape.
