Police in south Rome on Wednesday arrested a Bangladeshi immigrant and his wife for locking a compatriot in a room in their apartment, beating her and forcing her to work as a prostitute.
The couple's arrest came after the woman's boyfriend became worried because he hadn't been able to contact her for a week and called police.
The man and wife had met the woman in bar near Rome's central station and had lured her to their home with the promise of a live-in babysitting job, investigators said.
The couple then allegedly beat the woman and locked in a room, threatening to kill her if she tried to escape, then forced her to have sex with men for money.
Although she asked her clients to help her, the woman alleges some of them also beat her and forced her to perform degrading sex acts.
Police said they found large sums of money and various sex aids during searches of the couple's apartment.
