Police in Italy have arrested two fake doctors after a newborn bled to death following a botched circumcision.

The victim was only 20 days old when he likely bled to death following the botched circumcision in the comune of Monte Compatri, Lazio Region, on 24th March.

Carabinieri have detained two Nigerian women on suspicion of aggravated manslaughter.

Suspect Kate Egbe Iduorobo, 46, is believed to have performed the procedure in exchange for EUR 300 (GBP 260).

And fellow suspect Iyore Choiche Evbakhare, 52, is believed to have brought Iduorobo, a resident of Italy for more than 20 years, to the new mother’s house.

They are being held on remand in Rebibbia Prison, Rome.

Carabinieri have also placed the victim’s mother, who is also Nigerian, under investigation.

They believe she turned to Evbakhare to find someone to circumcise her son.

Evbakhare, they say, then brought Iduorobo, who has no medical qualifications, to the woman’s home to carry out the procedure.

Carabinieri believe it was not the first time she had performed a circumcision.

During a search of her home, they found a clandestine clinic with surgical instruments, medicines, and syringes.

They also discovered more than EUR 4,000 (GBP 3,500) in cash.

The alleged crime was discovered when the mother went to take her son to hospital on public transport and came across officers on patrol.

She asked them for help while holding her baby, who was by that point cyanotic, in her arms.

Cyanosis is blue or grey skin or lips.

The baby was taken to hospital but died in the ambulance en route.

The procedure had taken place a few hours earlier and had almost certainly been performed poorly, local media reported.

The pending post-mortem report is expected to give the cause of death as exsanguination.

The suspects were tracked down and arrested two days after the mother gave police their names.

The health charity Amsi said in 2018 that some 5,000 circumcisions are performed in Italy each year but more than a third are carried out illegally.