Italian police have arrested two Pakistani nationals for the murder of four farm workers – three Afghans and one Pakistani – found dead in a burnt-out minivan in southern Italy, Italian media reported Tuesday.
The vehicle was found at a petrol station near the village of Amendolara in a farming area in the Calabria region.
Another Afghan man quoted by Italian media said he survived the killings by smashing a window and running away.
He said the Pakistanis who were arrested had been threatening him and the others with knives and guns and forcing them to work without pay.
CCTV images from the petrol station showed two people blocking the van’s doors from the outside and throwing liquid inside, the Corriere della Sera daily reported, citing law enforcement sources.
The images showed a fire breaking out and the two people running away, the report said.
Firefighters found the bodies inside after putting out the fire.
Earlier reports had said all four victims were from Pakistan.
“This is definitely murder, we just have to work out the details,” local police chief Antonio Borelli was quoted by Corriere as saying.
The paper said there had been 14 cases of arson involving cars and minivans carrying Pakistanis in recent months in the area, where there are tensions between migrants over the division of farm work and residency papers and accommodation.