Police in Italy have arrested two Ghanaians and a Nigerian for using voodoo and severe beatings to force a minor to become a prostitute.

Voodoo rites were used on the Nigerian girl while subjecting her to severe beatings and threats against her family back in Nigeria.

Police in Caserta northwest of Naples said Wednesday that they arrested two Ghanaians and their Nigerian accomplice who brought the girl from Africa.

A 32-year-old man Seare Seth Asare and Joy Kingsley, 48, from Ghana were arrested together with a 38-year-old Nigerian woman Edith Osazuwa.

The two men and woman were said to have cast a spell on the innocent girl, spiritually possessing her and forcing her into prostitution.

The act is illegal for minors according to Italian laws and the culprits will be put before the courts on Thursday.

No details of the victim was given as she is said to have "suffered mistreatment" at the hands of the culprits.

Voodoo, is religion that is derived from African polytheism and ancestor worship combining elements of Roman Catholic ritual with traditional African magical and religious rites, characterized by sorcery and spirit possession.

The incident happened near Caserta, where there is a large African community, police said.

The town, dubbed a 'banlieue' by the media, hosts some 20,000 foreigners, almost three quarters of them irregular immigrants.