Arrested in Bratislava, a man wanted by the Vienna police with a European arrest warrant. He is suspected of fraud worth more than three million euros, the Austrian news agency APA reported today, quoted by Nova TV. He had an accomplice with Bulgarian citizenship.
The extradition procedure for the 43-year-old man is underway, the federal police directorate announced. It is believed that since 2022, in his capacity as managing director of a company, he has bought cars on lease, as well as a jacuzzi. This happened in Vienna and in the Austrian province of Burgenland.
After that, the man, who is stateless, in collaboration with a 35-year-old Bulgarian man, simply resold the purchased cars, said Philip Haslinger, a police spokesman.
"Instalments on the purchased cars have not been paid,” Hasslinger said. Five stolen vehicles were subsequently confiscated abroad, including in Rosenheim (Germany) and Moscow. According to police investigations, the owner of 37 cars was illegally changed..
"However, new individuals continue to report being affected by the scam,” Hasslinger said. The search for the remaining 32 cars continues, and the investigations of the "South" to the national investigative office in Vienna are still ongoing.
The police recently announced a public wanted list for a stateless man and his alleged accomplice. The search for the 35-year-old Bulgarian continues, APA explains.