ROME– A total of eight people have been arrested in Rome, Rieti, Viterbo and Naples for crimes relating to child prostitution. Those detained include a priest from Fiumicino and a pastor from Viterbo according to reports in Il Messaggero.

 The investigation into the prostitution ring was reportedly started a year ago by railway police in Lazio, who through observation and video surveillance, noticed that Termini station provided a meeting point for the group of men who are alleged to have forced children, for the most part of Roma ethnicity between the ages of 13 and 17, to perform sexual acts.

 The meetings between the men who are said to have operated the ring would take place near Via Giolitti which runs parallel to Termini and the services offered by the prostituted minors could take place on trains, in public bathrooms and in private homes, according to Emanuele Fattori, the operating manager of the police station at Termini.

 According to Il Messaggero’s sources a number the men accused of masterminding the prostitution ring are aged between 35 and 40 however there are older men involved, even over the age of 70. Investigations are continuing in an effort to track down others who may have been involved.