Four farmhands were burned alive in a Calabria gas station nightmare as suspects block doors and douse the vehicle with flammable liquid.ROME — In a scene straight out of a horror movie, two Pakistani nationals allegedly locked four migrant workers, three Afghans and one fellow Pakistani, inside a minivan at a southern Italian gas station and set the vehicle ablaze after a bitter wage dispute, authorities said.
The gruesome arson-murder unfolded Monday night, June 1, 2026, near the village of Amendolara in Calabria's farming heartland, where the victims had been toiling in strawberry fields under brutal conditions since April.
Italian police swooped in fast, nabbing Safeer Ahmed and Ali Raza, both 31, on charges of premeditated murder. Surveillance footage captured the cold-blooded act: the suspects blocking the van's doors from the outside and pouring liquid inside before torching it, according to reports.
One heroic Afghan survivor, Mohammad Taj Alamyar, 35, smashed a window and escaped with severe burns. He told investigators the pair tied to what he called a "huge Pakistani mafia" had been threatening the group with knives and guns, forcing them to work without pay while providing only food and shelter.
The charred remains belonged to Afghans Amin Fazal Khogjani, 28, Ullah Ismat Qeimi, 19, and Safi Iayjad, 27, along with 29-year-old Pakistani Waseem Khan. A fifth man made it out alive.
Local cops called it premeditated slaughter. "We just have to work out the details," a police chief said. The region has seen 14 similar arson attacks on vehicles linked to Pakistani migrants amid fierce rivalries over farm jobs, housing, and residency papers.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the "horrific crime" and vowed justice. Prosecutors described the cruelty as unprecedented.
The killings shine a harsh light on Italy's notorious caporalato system — exploitative gangmaster labor rackets that prey on desperate migrants picking fruit in the south.
Ahmed and Raza are behind bars as the investigation continues. The survivor’s account points to a larger network of intimidation in the fields.
