A 42-year-old man in the Milan
suburb Cinisello Balsamo was arrested on Monday, suspected of
kidnapping a 23-year-old model from Sweden and holding her
hostage in his garage where he allegedly raped and tortured her
for six months, investigators said.
Police found the woman after a neighbor heard her screaming
and called authorities.
The man had previously served time in prison for a similar
crime in 2008 in which he bound, beat, whipped and raped an
18-year-old woman from Belarus.
Investigators said the man posed as a modeling agent,
gained the Swedish woman's trust, and lured her to his apartment
where he held her hostage for six months until the neighbor
alerted authorities.
The man allegedly allowed the woman one closely monitored
phone call to her family per week, to assure them that nothing
was wrong.
Investigators reported that when they found the woman, she
was in such a profound state of shock that she was unable to
speak for hours.
The woman is now in hospital awaiting the arrival of her
family from Sweden.
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