Four farm workers killed in Crotonese area: suspicions of agricultural mafia
A massacre carried out in broad daylight at a petrol station in Calabria has caused the death of four foreign workers. The only survivor, a thirty-five-year-old man, smashed the rear window to escape the flames.
Four farm workers killed in Crotonese area: suspicions of agricultural mafia
An act of extreme criminal violence took place on 1 June in a location in southern Italy. At a fuel distributor near Amendolara, in the Crotonese area, two assailants poured petrol into a locked vehicle containing five people and then deliberately set it alight. Four occupants were burned to death; only one individual escaped death.
Security camera footage shows the Fiat Ulisse beginning to move convulsively as flames spread. The trapped passengers attempted desperately to open the doors without success. Only Taj A., a thirty-five-year-old man, found the strength to smash the rear window and throw himself out, sustaining serious injuries.
The victims were identified as Ismat, Fazal, Waseem and Safi, all originally from South Asia and employed as seasonal fruit pickers. The area is known for the cultivation of citrus fruit and strawberries, sectors that employ numerous immigrant workers under extremely disadvantageous conditions, with hourly rates that often amount to around three euros.
According to initial reconstructions, the crime may conceal a criminal system controlling the recruitment of labour in the fields. This network, defined as the "agricultural mafia", is said to maintain links with local organised crime organisations. The hiring of workers would be managed by intermediary figures, generally foreigners with greater experience in the area.
From the investigation, the identities of two Pakistani citizens emerged; they are currently detained awaiting trial. The surviving witness identified them as those responsible for the attack. The victims and the survivor shared sparse accommodation in a rural building, with a promise of daily compensation of forty-five euros that was systematically denied or reduced.
"Every day we asked for what was owed to us, but they always made excuses. They also made us pay for transport," Taj A. stated, reconstructing the dynamics of exploitation. The fateful morning was allegedly marked by sharp verbal clashes with the labour bosses. The survivor believes the episode was intended as a warning to all workers in the area.
Investigators do not rule out that the incident was part of an intimidatory strategy. They are examining possible links with a similar violent incident recorded the previous year, when four workers of Indian nationality lost their lives in similar circumstances.
Source: Bild
Source: BILD