A 23-year-old student was raped shortly after leaving the Jonio metro station in northern Rome in the early hours of Sunday morning, with authorities reportedly searching for three Gambian nationals in connection with the attack.
According to investigators, the woman was walking toward a night bus stop when three men approached her, restrained her, and dragged her to a secluded area near Via di Valle Melaina.
She reported being raped by one of the attackers while the other two held her down, according to La Repubblica. The three men immediately fled the scene.
The victim managed to reach a parked vehicle and asked the driver for help. She was taken to Sandro Pertini Hospital, where doctors confirmed the assault and alerted the authorities. Investigators are reconstructing the woman’s movements and examining cameras along her route.
According to Il Giornale, authorities are searching for three Gambian men, though investigators have not confirmed their identities.
The attack occurred roughly 350 meters from the Jonio station exit. Police are assessing whether the assailants followed the woman from the metro or encountered her on the street. Surveillance footage from the surrounding area is being collected.
The attack follows the arrest of three Moroccan men in the Italian capital last month, accused of dragging an 18-year-old girl out of her boyfriend’s car and gang raping her while restraining her partner and forcing him to watch.
That attack occurred on the evening of Oct. 25 after a migrant gang surrounded the couple’s parked car in Tor Tre Teste park.
The latest incident has sparked further concerns about public safety in Rome, leading opposition politicians in the city council to call for a greater police presence.
“We reiterate our request to the government for increased resources for nighttime patrols,” said Valeria Baglio, leader of the Democratic Party group in the capital. Luisa Regimenti, secretary of Forza Italia Rome, said more technology is needed to support law enforcement and argued that “Rome is not a safe city at night, especially for women.”
The attacks come at a time when the Rome city council is launching a new initiative focused on finding families willing to host single adult migrants in their homes for up to three years.
The council opened a tender until late September in search of an operator to manage the program on behalf of the municipality. It said the main objectives were to foster integration and provide “a welcoming environment geared toward inclusion and autonomy.”
