Wild chase from Bulgaria to Mehedinți prompts major search for fugitive

More than 100 police officers and gendarmes have been deployed in Mehedinți County to find a 26-year-old Moldovan citizen suspected of driving hundreds of kilometers from Bulgaria into Romania after allegedly stealing a car.

Police identified the man near Strehaia and tried to stop him, but investigators say he ignored their signal, accelerated and sped through the police checkpoint. He later abandoned the vehicle at the edge of a forest and fled on foot, prompting a large-scale operation in the area.

An Interior Ministry helicopter has been flying over the forest to assist the search. Officers have also checked vehicles moving through the area to prevent the suspect from leaving the region with help from someone else.

Romanian investigators say the man may also have caused trouble in Bulgaria, where he allegedly broke through a police barrier and injured two officers. They are investigating several alleged offenses, including the theft of two cars, forgery and the use of forged documents. In Romania, he could also face charges for assaulting authorities and causing bodily injury after the escape near Strehaia.

Investigators identify the suspect as Iulian Drăgan, but say he presented himself in Romania under the name George Andrei Ivan. Authorities are still trying to establish his exact route from Bulgaria and how he crossed the border. Police asked anyone who sees him or has information about his whereabouts to call the emergency number 112.

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If you see the person being sought or have information that could lead to his identification and capture, please immediately call the single emergency number 112 and provide the details you have.